The Ruler of All
by Veema
Summary: What if Sesshoumaru inherited the Tetsusaiga instead of the Tenseiga? He raises and trains Inuyasha, Inuyasha does his best to loath humans, and Rin is a demon slayer. Much has changed, but some things are meant to be. SessRin InuKik InuKag InuRin
1. Chapter 1: Mother Dearest

**The Ruler of All**

Chapter 1

I do not own Inuyasha

He held his father's fang tightly in his hands and gazed upon all of its magnificent glory. He had craved its power for so long. Ever since he saw the mighty power of the lethal and legendary Tetsusaiga, he wanted it for himself. To kill one hundred demons with one stroke was something worthy of Sesshoumaru. He was only waiting for his father to pass it on to him. Now the day had come. His father had met his tragic end because of a filthy mortal woman, a woman that just bore a half demon child: Sesshoumaru's younger brother, who was not even a day old yet.

"At last," Sesshoumaru said to himself ",the Tetsusaiga is mine." It soon began to rain in the thick forest he was in. Lightening and thunder soon followed. It was not a simple drizzle, but the earth seemed to cry out, as if it already knew how dangerously close all of humanity was to ending. The sword that was once used to aid mankind was now in the hands of a demon who despised them. However, to end humanity was not his goal, but to rule over all was his main purpose. He would only destroy who was in his way, whether it be a mortal or a demon. "At last, I shall transform myself into a far greater power."

A small flea demon was watching Sesshoumaru from a distance. He had left the sword in a location where he knew Sesshoumaru would find it. It worried him though. _'The Tetsusaiga was once used to aid mankind, even though it was created from the fang of a demon. It seems strange that Sesshoumaru can even wield it.'_ He sighed. _'Ah, but his father's will is still alive and strong within the sword. If it is his will, than Sesshoumaru shall wield it, and he shall use its full potential as well.'_ Myouga, the tiny flea demon was very old and very wise. He did not share as much compassion for the human race as his former master, but he was still concerned with the new order of the world. _'I am not sure what will become of this land with Lord Sesshoumaru ruling with the Tetsusaiga. He shall rule it with an iron fist, but what shall be the ultimate fate of the world…'_

"Now it shall begin," Sesshoumaru told himself. "Now my empire shall rise."

Many years later in a human village that was very successful and very prosperous, the villagers were under great stress. Their peaceful way of life was soon all going to end for everyone, at least that was what they all thought. There were whispers in the village that a demon was coming to the village, supposedly just passing by. It wasn't just any demon though. It was _him_. It was _the_ demon that everyone feared. There really wasn't any human who didn't know _his _name. His legend was too great!

One villager had begun to speak to a large coward that had gathered together. "It is said that this demon is the greatest demon alive. He might come here to slay all of us."

Another villager began to speak. "I hear that his father was a great dog demon, the same father to Inuyasha, the half demon that resides here in this village."

"You mean Izayoi's child?"

"Yes, I mean that child."

"What if the demon Lord is coming here for the boy?" someone else asked. "What if he is coming here for Inuyasha?"

While they were conversing, the boy that they were conversing about, Inuyasha, was busy playing with his mother. He was young, appeared to only be the age of four. He didn't play much with the other children of the village. He usually only spent time with his mother and never really ran off on his own. He loved his mother dearly and truly only needed her company. She would much rather have him stay with her. "Mother!" he had a ball in his hand and ran to her, who was smiling happily.

They were together playing in the privacy of their garden. They were blessed with a nice home in a large village. It was peaceful and away from most of the wars and hadn't been yet touched by the hand of the demon parading around the lands beginning to take over territories. If they couldn't be happy around everyone else, then they would only be with each other forever. "Inuyasha!"

He threw the ball to her and she was able to catch it. Instead of Inuyasha waiting for his mother to throw it back, he ran to her and embraced. He began laughing with her as she held him dearly. He loved his mother and she loved him. They only had each other. "Mother," he asked her, "be with me forever?"

She didn't know quite what to say, so she just held him tighter. "Inuyasha, you are my dear son and you are not like everyone else in the village, nor like me. You can live much longer than I can, so I'll pass away one day."

"Don't mother! Do not leave me!"

"Don't fret, Inuyasha. As long as we hold each other in our hearts, we can be together forever. Keep me in your heart and I will keep you in mine. Then we can always be together."

"Yes, mother."

She let her son go once she looked beyond her garden and over a bridge to see the approaching villagers. "Inuyasha, keep behind me." She didn't wait for her son to move and gently pushed him behind her. Inuyasha looked up to see his mother's face with question. He knew something wasn't right. She looked very frightened.

"We have business to discuss Izayoi!" one villager shouted.

Inuyasha was frightened by the anger in the villager's voice and held on to his mother tightly. He wasn't about to let her go for the world. "Mother, why have the villagers come?" Inuyasha was so small, so innocent still. His mother had tried her best to keep him hidden away from the racism of the villagers and tried to keep him near her, especially with all of the danger. There was so much chaos around in the land that she just wanted to stay with her son and shelter him, but Inuyasha had realized that no one in the village seemed to like him and they had called him a name, a name that he didn't know what it meant. "Mother…"

"Inuyasha, please be quiet for me and let me handle this." She placed her hand on his head to comfort her son. She knew that pain was soon to follow. The villagers had been very cruel to Inuyasha, but no one had done anything to him specifically, but they had rather came to her instead. They would accuse him of stealing and other things like that when Inuyasha barely left his home grounds. The things they said were absurd, but that didn't stop them from accusing Inuyasha. "What is it?" she asked them, her voice shaking a little bit, even though she tried to remain calm for the sake of her son.

"That child," one man pointed out, "he is an abomination!"

Inuyasha flinched at the sound of his voice and held onto his mother tighter.

"Leave him be! He's just a boy! He hasn't done anything. He has been with me the whole day."

"It's not what he has done," another man said, "but it's what he's going to cause."

The first man began to speak again. "There have been whispers that the dog demon lord, the one called Sesshoumaru is passing through here. He will come through this land and devour us all!"

"Don't be so quick to judge. I am sure nothing wrong shall befall our village. If you are so concerned, then we should go. No one can stand against him."

"I suppose you would know." This time a woman spoke. She was disgusted with Izayoi and what she had done. "It is said that he is the son of the dog demon you conceived Inuyasha with."

"I have not seen Sesshoumaru and I am certain that he would not come seeking Inuyasha and I. You all despise my son and I am certain that his full blooded _half_ demon brother would not care much for him either, and especially I. He isn't coming seeking Inuyasha and is probably merely passing through. He has been conquering lands and probably only wishes to do the same here. He might not even come through this way. If he does, I implore that everyone leaves before he arrives."

Everyone knew that bit of information was true. Sesshoumaru had been going around to different lands and started conquering. He would kill anyone in his way. Many feared him, but one fact everyone knew was that he didn't like mortals. There was no reason why he would come seeking Izayoi and Inuyasha. The only reason why the villagers would think so was the pure fact that they were afraid and Inuyasha was always the first to be blamed for everything. Paranoia and racism sometimes were hand and hand.

"If we find out that the half breed has anything to do with it, then he and you will pay dearly," said another villager. All of the villagers agreed and nodded their heads and mumbled some words, threats that Inuyasha should have never had to hear. He was so young.

"I assure you that this is not Inuyasha's fault." None of them believed her, but they left her and her son alone.

Inuyasha held on firmly to his mother until all of the villagers left out of their sight. When he and his mother were alone once again, he realized that his mother was shaking. "Mother…" he came to her front side, but still held onto her tightly, "what's a…half breed?" She tried to stop it and didn't mean for it to happen, but tears began to readily fall from her eyes. She bent down and hugged him. Inuyasha didn't understand why she was crying or why she was upset, so he hugged her back, hoping that she would feel better. He had never seen her cry before. He didn't understand, but he was afraid. "Mother…"

* * *

'_This land…'_ his gentle feet touched the ground beneath him lightly as he made his way towards his destination. _'A dog demon.' _He caught the whiff of an unfamiliar scent, but a scent that he knew he'd become acquainted with._ 'A half dog demon…'_

Sesshoumaru hadn't seen his little brother before, but he knew for sure that it had to be him. _'Interesting…' _His curious nature set him off his course and to a detour.

* * *

"Mother," said Inuyasha, "you never answered me." They were in the safety of their home now. To calm her nerves and hopefully make Inuyasha forget about the villagers, they had begun painting after they had eaten their family meal together. Inuyasha wasn't very good at it. His small hands weren't as graceful as his mother's.

"Inuyasha…" she sighed and put her paint brush down. "Inuyasha, I told you that you were very different, very special from all other children. There aren't many like you, Inuyasha."

Inuyasha gave up on his picture and concentrated on what his mother was telling him. "Am I a half breed?"

"Yes, son, you are a half breed."

She didn't seem to go on, but his curiosity would not cease on the matter, so he continued on with questions. "Is that bad?"

"What?" She placed a look of shock and horror on her face. She was appalled that her son would think that about himself. She shook her head and pushed their paintings aside. "Inuyasha, it isn't bad to be different." She held him, the way she usually did. "Your father was different, but he was kind to me."

"My father?"

"Yes."

He had heard very little of his father and was curious to know what that had to do with being a half breed. "But mother, what does a half breed mean?"

She gently rested her chin upon her son and his doggy ears began to perk up, which she always thought was adorable. "Inuyasha, it means that your father was a demon and I am a human."

"A demon?" he had never actually seen one in person, but had heard of them. "He was a big scary monster?" Inuyasha was confused but on the borderline of disappointed. Everything he had heard about demons wasn't very good at all.

"He could be a monster sometimes. Your father was a dog demon, Inuyasha." Thinking about her love from long ago could only make her heart fill with supreme joy. "He was a demon, but unlike any demon I had heard of. His voice was strong, wise, and mature, but he looked so young and beautiful. He was kind to me and even though he was strong and had such rough hands, he could be so gentle when he would hold me. He protected me and you when you were only a baby and he treated me well. I had never seen him transformed, but I know he was a great and powerful demon. He wanted us to live together happy and safe. He'd do anything for you because he loved you and in the end, he proved it."

Inuyasha interlocked his fingers with his mother's. "Then my father was a good demon?"

"The best." She lifted her head and turned it over to his side and kissed him on the cheek. "Inuyasha, you are half demon and half human. Because you are a half demon, you will live longer than humans can and you will be much stronger than a human as well. That is why you look different, but you are still a good boy, Inuyasha, and nothing can change that."

His mother's words comforted him and he wasn't scared to be different at that moment. Hearing of his father made him proud. "And what about the villagers? They said a dog demon was on the way. They said-"

"It's your half brother, Lord Sesshoumaru."

Inuyasha noticed that his mother's hands began to become cold and was shaking once again. "Mother, what is the matter?"

"I wonder if we should leave this place. You and I could go somewhere together and we could live alone happily and long, just like your father wanted."

"Leave our home?"

"But we can be together Inuyasha. Being with you is the most important thing to me and I fear that something bad might happen. We should go."

"Bad? What do you mean by-" His words were stopped once his ears twitched, picking up the sound of footsteps and the voices of men. "I can smell fire."

"What?" Inuyasha stood to his feet in order for his mother to move. She got up in a panic and looked for a way out. "Are they here, Inuyasha?" He didn't have to answer, she could hear them herself, meaning that they were. "Why are they here?"

"Mother? What is going on?"

There was one way out, but the villagers were already at the door. "Inuyasha!" She pushed her son behind her and backed up against a wall. "Inuyasha, you mustn't speak at all. Let me speak, Inuyasha. If I tell you to do something, then you must."

He nodded and held onto her, like he did earlier once the villagers slide open her door and came inside. Some of them were dressed in armor and had spears and swords. Inuyasha's senses were right on, for they were carrying torches as well. They all looked hysterical and hysteria and paranoia were human emotions that always ended in tragedy. "Why have you come here? This is my home."

"It's that disgusting half breed! We all know he's leading the demon here, whether it be for good or bad purposes."

"No, that's insane! Sesshoumaru wouldn't come here for him. Why would he come to meet or kill him? He's known he's had a brother. If he wanted him dead then he'd be dead. Inuyasha didn't even know of his brother. He isn't in league with him."

"And what of you? You fell in love with a dog demon! You might be in league with them."

"That's not true. The only demon I ever got close to was Inuyasha's father. I have absolutely no other connections to them at all. Leave me and my son alone! We aren't doing anything wrong. We're not conspiring against you all. We just wish to live out our lives in peace, happy together."

"She's lying! The half breed should die!"

Izayoi had died before and she could remember the feeling of hopelessness before she was slain. All she wanted to do was see her beloved one more time, but he was dead and gone. He had brought her back from the depths of the Netherworld. There was nothing to save her now, but she didn't care about death. She just wanted her son to live. "I won't let you harm my son! I won't let you kill him!"

Inuyasha didn't say a word. He just continued to hold on to her, fearing what letting her go would cause.

"Leave Inuyasha alone! He's a good boy! He has not done anything wrong."

"Get out of our way!" One villager grabbed her arm and attempted to move her, but she had so much will and desire to protect her son that she would not allow herself to be thrown by his might. "Leave him be!"

"Mother!" Inuyasha cried. "I'm afraid!"

"I won't let them hurt you." She tried to resist them, but she was knocked down and thrown to the floor.

"Mother!" Inuyasha ran to his mother's side and tried to help her up. "Come on mother!"

"Inuyasha…" One villager picked him up by his hair. Inuyasha began to struggle and yell in pain, but the villager showed no regard for his life and threw him against the wall. Inuyasha was hurt from the impact of the landing. He hit his head on the floor. He might have been part demon, but he was only a small boy. "No!" Izayoi flung herself in front of her son in order for him to be protected from the villagers. She held him tight and faced her back to the villagers. "I won't let you be killed. I have to protect you, Inuyasha!"

Inuyasha looked up and saw a villager, the one who had talked the most and lead the men there, hold up his sword in the air. "Mother look out!" Inuyasha forced himself out of his mother's grasp and attempted to protect her, but she instead pushed him farther towards the wall. "Nooooo!" Her blood splattered on his face as the sword collided with her body, entering through her back and exiting through her stomach.

"Inuyasha…" The sword was pulled out of her body and she fell into her son's tiny hands.

"Mother…no!"

"I am to die again?" she asked. She still smiled. "Be strong Inuyasha…I want you to live. Be strong…"

"Mother!" As the blood from the side of her mouth dripped on to his lap, he could feel a deep and strong rage overcome all of his sorrow. He didn't even have time to be afraid of mourn, for a new and horrible power suddenly overcame him. He could feel himself becoming powerful and dangerous. It scared him, but excited him at the same time.

"What is wrong with him?" All of the villagers backed away for but a moment. Seeing the boy suddenly begin to transform was startling. His eyes turned blue, but they were glowing red. His fangs that weren't even noticeable before grew large and vicious and his tiny claws grew large as well. He roared with fierceness, even though he was crying. He didn't seem to be mourning for his now dead mother. It was all rage.

"He is just a half breed child!" A man raised his sword to strike, but despite Inuyasha's age, his demon blood took over and he acted quickly and cut off the man's arm with his claws. The man yelled in agony and the other's backed away as well. "Let's burn it down with the demon inside!" They all began to run, but Inuyasha wasn't quite done.

"Inu…Inuyasha…"

His ears twitched, hearing the sound of her voice, but his blood was still rushing.

"Inuyasha…please!"

Inuyasha turned around to see that she was still alive, holding on by a thread. He forgot about everything that he had done and ran to his mother's side. He began to calm down and quickly returned to normal. He realized that he was crying, and he saw that she was as well. He tried to reach out to wipe away her tears, but once he saw his hands covered in blood, he sobbed harder. "Mother, I'm sorry!"

"Inuyasha…don't be. You're not a monster. You're my son, and I love you. I'll always be with you, in your heart." Her voice was withering away as Inuyasha's nose picked up the scent of smoke. "It's okay to be different…being different never stopped me from loving your father…and him loving me. He loved you too, and I love you too."

"Don't leave me!"

"Don't be scared, Inuyasha. Be strong, and live long. Live long…" she closed her eyes, and she let out the last bit of air in her body.

Inuyasha wanted to hold her, but he didn't want to stain her with blood. "I'm not gonna let you burn here!" He forced himself to stop crying and although she was dead, he forced her body on top of his small one. It was hard to lift her up, but he couldn't let her stay in that place alone while it burned to the ground. He didn't give a thought to the fact that the villagers would be outside waiting for him. He only wanted to do something for her, at least bury her right and proper. _'Mother, I love you…'_

He was surprised that he didn't feel the heat of the flames. He managed somehow and got out of there safely. The villagers had all left and probably for a good reason. Inuyasha didn't care though. He didn't want to escape. He began to dig a place for his mother's body in the garden where they spent their good times. He dug it with his bare hands and worked through the night so hard that he forgot to be sad, but once he placed the body in and covered it once again, he collapsed on her grave crying and screaming, wishing that he wasn't alone anymore. "Mother no! Please come back! Please!" He cried, and he cried, and he cried himself right to sleep.

* * *

"Inuyasha…"

The morning had come, but Inuyasha was far too tired and weak to respond to the first call.

"Inuyasha." This time, it was much more forceful and impatient. Inuyasha had never heard this voice before.

His ears perked up and twitched. He was somehow able to rise to his feet. Once he turned around, he saw a sight unlike anything he had ever seen before.

"Inuyasha? That is your name, is it not?"

Inuyasha nodded wearily. "You look like me…" This stranger's hair was silver like Inuyasha's and his eyes were golden like his as well. He didn't have doggy ears, but his ears were different from any other human though. He also had strange markings on his body. He had a crescent moon on his head and lines on his face. He had claws that were much longer than Inuyasha's and he was so tall.

He seemed to be a bit insulted. "We are not all that much alike, I assure you."

Inuyasha realized that whoever this man was, he was looking at the grave. When Inuyasha looked back down on it, he wasn't sad anymore. He just felt a deep anger within himself. "They killed her. Those villagers killed my mother!"

He didn't sympathize, but seemed interested in Inuyasha. "Mortals are disgusting creatures."

Suddenly, it dawned on Inuyasha who this stranger might actually be. He had heard that his brother was coming and he obviously was not a human, since he thought they were disgusting and looked so different, and yet the same as Inuyasha. "You are my brother?"

"_Half_ brother," he pointed out. Seeing Inuyasha up close and personal was odd indeed. He could now see his half breed brother that he held resentment to. He despised Inuyasha and his mother for how his father died. Now seeing Inuyasha so weak, lonely, and helpless was rather all anticlimactic now. Sure he was disgusted with him, but he didn't possess the hatred that he thought he would, especially since he now knew that his mother was dead.

"What is your name?"

Sesshoumaru decided that he wasn't going to kill his little brother, at least not right then, but what to do with him was the question. "Sesshoumaru."

To be continued…


	2. Chapter 2: Brother of Mine

Chapter 2

I don't own Inuyasha

"Sesshoumaru?" Inuyasha slowly stood up and observed his older half brother. He wasn't too old; at least he didn't appear to be. He looked around the age of sixteen or seventeen years old. His eyes were not as large as Inuyasha's, but weren't as narrow as an adult's. He wore a white kimono with pale pink flowers on it, and amour, meaning that Sesshoumaru must have been a warrior. He also wore a blue sash around his waist that was yellow at the tips and wore something furry around his right arm. Inuyasha also noticed a sword tightly tucked away in his brother's sash. _'Did he come here to destroy my village?'_

Before Sesshoumaru said anything, he started to walk off. "Wait!" Inuyasha ran behind him. "Where are you going? You can't leave me all alone!"

Inuyasha stopped once he saw his brother stop. He grew a little scared, seeing his brother glare directly into his eyes. "And why would you assume that I have any obligation to you?"

"What's that mean?"

Sesshoumaru forgot for a moment how young his brother actually was. He would be most annoying. "Why should I help you?"

"I..." Inuyasha looked down at his feet, trying to avoid his brother's piercing eyes. "You're my brother." The sentence seemed to have no effect on Sesshoumaru, so Inuyasha's voice grew silent. "Aren't brothers supposed to help each other?"

"I do not have to do anything that I do not wish to. Taking care of you is included in what I do not wish to do; therefore, you are on your own." Sesshoumaru started to leave Inuyasha, but to Sesshoumaru's surprise, whenever he himself would take a step, Inuyasha would also take one. "And what are you doing?"

"I..." Inuyasha looked back at his mother's grave again. His home was gone and so was his mother. What other choice did he have? "Brother, I have nowhere else to go."

Inuyasha was indeed pathetic and he reeked of human blood. He was disgusting and disgraceful, but despite all that, Sesshoumaru wasn't going to kill his brother for following. It didn't really serve any true purpose. Sesshoumaru didn't say anything else. He let his little brother just follow.

_'He's letting me come?' _Inuyasha decided even though his brother was at first intimidating, he wasn't all that bad. _'He must be pretty nice.' _Inuyasha got up the courage to step to his brother's side. Inuyasha kept glancing back at his mother's grave, until it was out of sight. He had to stop himself from crying. He didn't want to cry in front of his brother.

Sesshoumaru thought Inuyasha to be embarrassing. He could hear his little brother sniffing and struggling to hold in his tears. He was grieving for his dead mother and Sesshoumaru wasn't about to let him continuously think about that pitiful woman, especially if Inuyasha wasn't going to leave.

_'Goodbye mother...'_ So now Inuyasha was on a journey, a journey with a man he had never met before. He figured it would be safer to be with him than without him. Inuyasha had never been out of the village before. Now the village looked deserted and lifeless. It just wasn't as beautiful without his home and the lovely garden. When he left, he didn't look back.

Just a bit farther on, past the open fields that surrounded the village there was a water fall. Inuyasha was tired and hungry, but didn't exactly want to say anything to his brother. He figured that Sesshoumaru would eventually stop for food and drink. Just Inuyasha's luck, that time was then. Sesshoumaru grabbed a hold of Inuyasha by his clothes and picked him up. Inuyasha became very worried. "What are you doing?"

Sesshoumaru didn't answer. He just went to the river and tossed Inuyasha in.

Inuyasha began yelling and started kicking and waving his arms wildly. "I can't swim." Before the current carried Inuyasha down stream, he grabbed a hold of a rock and continued yelling.

Sesshoumaru sat down and watched his little brother struggle. He wasn't planning on helping him. Inuyasha should learn to fend for himself.

"Brother Sesshoumaru!" Inuyasha held on as tight as he possibly could and eventually was able to get his legs up on top of the rock. He was on all fours, since he was too scared to actually stand up. "Help me!"

"Jump," was his cold reply. Sesshoumaru didn't know that the river was that deep. He knew that the current was strong, but figured that having some demon blood in him; Inuyasha should be able to handle it. _'What a disappointment you're turning out to be. Your human mother kept you weak.'_

"You're supposed to help me!" Inuyasha's legs were shaking so much. He was so afraid! "You're not being a very good big brother!" Sesshoumaru turned his head in order to ignore his little brother. "You jerk!" Inuyasha gulped and took one hand off of the rock and another off of the rock, until he was hunched over, but at least standing. "I'm going to jump!" he announced. Inuyasha was a bit heartbroken once he realized that his brother didn't care, or at least looked like he cared. He gulped and jumped as far as he could, trying to reach land. He barely made it and almost fell back in once he landed, but after he got his balance, he marched over to his brother angrily. "Why would you do that?"

Sesshoumaru stood up, which frightened Inuyasha. Inuyasha tried to step back, but before he could move, Sesshoumaru once again picked him up.

"What are you doing?"

"Silence."

Inuyasha quieted himself. He was very much afraid of his brother. He would have rather be thrown in the river than see his brother's wrath. The villagers weren't scared for nothing. Instead of simply just throwing Inuyasha back in, Sesshoumaru began carrying his brother, following the river. _'What is he doing?'_

Sesshoumaru finally dropped Inuyasha in a more shallow area where the water wasn't so fierce. "You reek of human blood. Get rid of that foul smell."

Some of it did wash off, but he still had some on him. _'I do still have blood on me!'_ He was either so angry or in so much grief that he didn't even realize. He began to furiously wash it off. _'I've got to get clean!' _He made sure to get it all off and still stayed in the river for a bit longer, to make sure he was completely clean.

_'Inuyasha is merely a half demon. He probably won't last long in this world, at least not alone.'_

When Inuyasha finally did get out, he was freezing and completely soaked. He didn't think to shake himself. He simply tried to dry his hair by squeezing his hair with his hands. He tried the same with his clothes, but he couldn't do much. He just took a seat next to his brother and waited for his brother to do or say something.

_'I can still smell the foul scent of his human blood. He is most displeasing.' _

"Why did you come to my village?" Inuyasha asked. "Everyone was very much afraid of you."

"Don't be foolish. I was merely passing through. I had no intention of going to your specific village. I always travel."

"Oh..." Inuyasha began to grunt. "Then those stupid villagers killed my mother for nothing! They thought you were coming for me and killed her!" Inuyasha had never quite felt so much rage before. It was new and strange and he didn't know exactly what to do with it.

Sesshoumaru thought Inuyasha's situation to at least be interesting. Inuyasha was half demon, but at the current time, Inuyasha seemed to be sharing a large distaste for his fellow human brethren. "Humans are paranoid creatures who fear because they are weak. Because they are weak, they try to destroy any potential threat, because they can never have real power."

Inuyasha's anger died down and he just looked at his brother in awe. He hadn't really spoken more than a few words. Now he was actually having a conversation. _'He really doesn't like humans.'_ Inuyasha let his grief overshadow his anger. "I still can't believe they killed my mother."

"Your mother," Sesshoumaru began to say "her feelings made you weak. You're feeble Inuyasha. I cannot understand how weak you are. You are a half demon, a young half demon, but still, the blood of a demon still courses through your veins. Our great father had supreme power and yet you are no better than those creatures that slaughtered your mother."

"My mother told me that there was nothing wrong with being different."

"Everyone is different. I am far superior to all other creatures, making me different. You are a half demon. You're a disgrace."

Inuyasha wanted to cry. He felt like his heart was being ripped out. How was he supposed to go on if his caretaker was cruel to him?

"I suppose that wretched mother of yours didn't even tell you of our father."

Inuyasha shook his head, still upset. He laid down on his back and looked up in the sky. For such a beautiful day, it seemed so dark. "I only know that he treated her well."

_'Typical.'_ Sesshoumaru was a bit disappointed, but not very surprised. He expected as much. "And she said nothing of his great power?"

Inuyasha shook his head.

"He ruled with supreme power and was feared and respected, until he died to save the life of you and your human mother."

Inuyasha could hear the disgust in his brother's voice so greatly. Even though Inuyasha wished to be on good terms with his brother, he didn't want to hear his brother talk about his mother as if she was nothing but trash. "Could you please not..." Inuyasha was afraid to finish his sentence once his brother glared at him. "Uh...please do not speak about my mother."

Inuyasha must have been very foolish to ask Sesshoumaru that, but Sesshoumaru didn't strike him. "I would rather not speak of her or think of her at all." A thought came to Sesshoumaru's mind.

"Even so, I still can't believe they killed her!" Inuyasha turned his head to look at his brother and sat up again. "They were scared of me...and you..."

"Humans fear what they cannot understand. They cannot comprehend power and that's what makes them revolting. That is why it is so unnatural for your human blood to mix with the power of a demon. You'll never be accepted, because humans will fear you and demons will look down on you, because you have human blood inside of you."

"I hate them." Inuyasha finally said. "I hate all of them."

Sesshoumaru wasn't clear on whether or not his little brother meant the villagers or all humans, but at least he wouldn't have to worry about his little brother seeking human companionship. "We're done here." Sesshoumaru stood up and so did Inuyasha. Inuyasha was freezing cold, but didn't say anything.

"Where are we going?"

"Inuyasha." Sesshoumaru had such seriousness in his voice. Every word he was about to say, he meant it. "Listen very carefully, Inuyasha. I will allow you to join me, but only if you disregard your humanity right here and now."

"Disregard? What do you mean by that?"

Explaining to a child! How frustrating traveling with one would be. "From this day on, I do not want you to mention your mortal mother again."

"Never?" Inuyasha had to whisper it, as if the thought was forbidden. To forget the only person he ever loved was something that seemed too hard and strange to do. The fact that his brother asked him to do such a horrible thing was incomprehensible. "But I love my mother! You wish for me never to think of her again?"

"You may be half demon, but that doesn't mean you have to show compassion for them or act like them. It's sickening enough that I have to smell the scent of human on you. Your blood may be that way, but your actions do not have to be."

_'My mother? He wants me to forget about her?'_ Inuyasha didn't want to be alone, and every time he thought about all of the other humans he knew, he just became angry. Perhaps he really did hate humans. They ruined his life, not his demon brother who just happened to be passing on through. Inuyasha nodded. "I swear I will disregard all of my human blood from this day, brother Sesshoumaru." Inuyasha wasn't sure what disregarding his human blood meant, but he decided that it didn't matter. He would have to do his best not to mention his mother or even think of his mother, no matter how horrible that was. Sesshoumaru was asking a lot, but the truth of the matter was that deep down, Inuyasha just wanted to forget about the pain that was deep within his heart and every time he was angry, it took away his pain.

"Let's be off."

"But Brother Sesshoumaru..." Inuyasha's stomach began to rumble. "What about my breakfast?"

"If you wish to eat, then it is your responsibility to get your own food."

"But my-" Inuyasha had to cover his mouth. He had almost broken his brother's new rule and mentioned how his mother made breakfast for him and it was always nice. Inuyasha knew that not speaking of her would be hard. _'I'm sorry mother…' _Inuyasha uncovered his mouth and frowned. "What about you? Aren't you going to eat anything?"

"I do not need to eat as often as you would. Find your own meal."

Inuyasha turned behind him and slowly began to walk over to the river. _'I like fish.'_ "Uh...how should I get the fish? I don't have a net or a-"

"Use your hands," Sesshoumaru instructed, as if it were a stupid question. Sesshoumaru had something to do and somewhere to be, but watching his brother struggle might have actually been entertaining, so he took a seat and watched his brother awkwardly dip his hand into the river and try to catch a fish. Inuyasha seemed a little jumpy. Once he felt a fish actually swim past his fingers, he took his hands out, a little startled.

"It's so slimy," he complained. "How am I supposed to pick it up?"

Sesshoumaru ignored his brother's comments. Once Inuyasha saw that he was being a bother, he placed his hands back in the water and waited to actually catch something. Sesshoumaru tried to seem uninterested, which didn't seem that hard to do. Inuyasha was annoying and disgusting, but Sesshoumaru was curious to see if the boy would actually succeed or not. Yes he was pathetic, but it was a minor task. _'Did his mother honestly make him that useless?' _Inuyasha continued to struggle. _'If he's not fast enough to catch a simple fish, then how does he expect to survive at all? He'd be useless in a battle. Perhaps he has no potential at all, despite having father's blood in his veins.' _

"I got it!" After Inuyasha continuously kept trying and making a gigantic mess, he finally succeeded in catching the fish. "I got-" Unfortunately, it escaped from his hands and jumped right back in the river. Inuyasha let out a yell of frustration. "How can I catch it and keep it if it's so slippery!"

It wasn't really a question, but Sesshoumaru took it that way and turned his head away from his brother. He couldn't bear to watch him wallow in stupidity anymore. "If your hands are too small, then use your claws, Inuyasha."

"My claws?" Inuyasha looked at his nails. They weren't very long; at least he never thought so. They weren't as long as his brother's. "Well...I...I didn't realize I had claws." He still didn't quite believe it. "I suppose they are sharp." Inuyasha got the courage up to slightly run one of his finger nails across his arm and as soon as he saw blood, he pulled his hand away and began to whimper. "They're sharp!"

_'The fool.'_ "Of course they are. You are half demon, Inuyasha. Just because you are insignificant and weak doesn't mean that you have to be totally helpless."

Inuyasha barely realized that most of the time his brother was insulting him. He let it go and continued to try and catch the fish, this time trying to include his claws. Once he grabbed one, he used his claws and was able to hold on to it. "I got it brother!" He excitedly ran over to Sesshoumaru and held it to him, thinking that his brother was interested or at least pleased. Sesshoumaru seemed neither. "I did it!"

It wasn't soon until the fish had died in Inuyasha's hand. For a moment, it startled Inuyasha and his mood all became rather anti-climactic. It just ended. He had eaten fish and other creatures before, but he had just killed something. His small hands had just killed something. Inuyasha dropped on his bottom and looked at the fish sadly. Inuyasha could remember something, or at least he thought he could. He could remember the feeling. He had done something, something he couldn't remember. He went out of control for some reason and did something bad._ 'That wasn't just my mother's blood on me. I didn't...' _Inuyasha began to shake with fear. If he had actually killed someone, how was he to live with himself?_ 'Did I kill someone?' _Inuyasha could feel himself about to cry. _'I didn't mean to hurt anyone...'_

"Inuyasha," Sesshoumaru said, before the child began to cry, "don't you think you should cook it yourself?"

Inuyasha's slight panic subsided and he was once again let down by his brother. "You want me to cook it?" Inuyasha could just see the irritation in his brother's eyes. "Uh...sorry..."_ 'I guess I gotta get some fire wood too. I shouldn't ask him for anything. He'll get mad.'_ "I'll run and get some firewood." Inuyasha ran back to the path they had already traveled down, since Inuyasha could remember seeing twigs and small branches as they traveled along, he doubled back.

_'What is wrong with that foolish child? He's completely useless. That wretched woman has spoiled him rotten._' What a strange predicament Sesshoumaru was now in. He was simply passing by, deciding what to conquer next and picked up the scent of his young brother. He wasn't even entirely sure that it was Inuyasha, but he knew it was a half dog demon, and so it was most likely him. To feed his curiosity, he went. He did want to kill his brother, but now it honestly seemed so futile and so pointless. Sesshoumaru didn't need to kill Inuyasha. Inuyasha obviously was going to do that himself.

_'Father, it still doesn't make sense to why you gave everything up just for a mortal woman and my half breed brother. I hold the fang of destruction that was once yours, the Tetsusaiga, but I wished to challenge you, and defeat you someday. All of your power was reduced to nothing, because of a worthless child and that wench.' _

Sesshoumaru wasn't exactly sure why he was keeping such a close eye over his little brother. He was still curious to actually see how long Inuyasha would actually last. It shouldn't be that long. He was a half demon after all. The only thing Inuyasha was managing to do alright was collecting wood for a fire and Sesshoumaru figured that once Inuyasha returned, he would only ask another question, like how to start the fire.

Once Inuyasha did return, he dropped the wood in front of his brother and looked at him with bewilderment. "Uh...how do I start it?"

_'Such a little pest he is.'_ How Sesshoumaru was going to manage with Inuyasha was not going to be pleasurable. Even though Sesshoumaru did not plan on taking care of Inuyasha, he was still a pest.

After Inuyasha's breakfast, the two of them began traveling again, just the two of them. Inuyasha realized how quiet his brother actually was. Inuyasha didn't have much to say, so they didn't really engage in any conversations. Sesshoumaru sure didn't bring up anything. _'He doesn't like me' _was the conclusion Inuyasha came to in his mind. Inuyasha was very hurt by it. His brother had even called him a disgrace._ 'No one likes me. I'm all alone...'_ He sighed. "Brother, where are we going?" After a few hours of walking, Inuyasha's legs had begun to get tired. Even though he was a half demon, he was young and not used to walking around so much. He ran around his home with his mother all day and attempted to play with the villagers, but walking in the forest was so much harder. Inuyasha kept tripping along the path. At first he was trying his best, but now everything was so frustrating.

Sesshoumaru could hear him tripping, grunting, sniffing, mumbling, growling, and everything else he did when he began to get aggravated while walking on the forest's path. He was an odd child, unlike anyone Sesshoumaru knew. Still, Inuyasha was determined. He was spoiled and weaker than most demons and he wasn't used to doing anything for himself, but he was willing to work hard and try. Sesshoumaru found it a bit amusing, so he decided to let his little brother tag along.

Sesshoumaru could smell other demons in the area and began to walk faster. He didn't walk faster because he was afraid, but rather for Inuyasha's sake. _'I wonder how he'll react to this.'  
_  
It wasn't long until Inuyasha had lost sight of Sesshoumaru. "Brother!" Inuyasha called to him over and over again, but Sesshoumaru would not answer. Inuyasha continued to call out to his brother and each time he called, the more desperate, afraid, and abandoned his voice was. "Brother Sesshoumaru..." Inuyasha searched for his brother, but it was so dark in the forest. He could see, but it still scared him a little bit. The feeling was just so empty and horrible. Besides, Inuyasha kept getting the feeling that something was watching him. _'Where are you Sesshoumaru?'_

Inuyasha's ears twitched, hearing something behind him. It sounded like growling. To add to Inuyasha's dismay, he tripped on a tree limb and hit his chin on the ground. He didn't have the will to get back up though. "Brother Sesshoumaru!"

Unknown to Inuyasha, Sesshoumaru was watching him the whole time. Once Inuyasha could no longer see him, he jumped up and hid himself within the forest's blanket. He had been with Inuyasha the whole time and every time he saw his little brother, he just became more dissatisfied. There was barely anything to work with before and now there was absolutely no hope. _'What a wretched half breed. Does he not know how to use that nose of his?'_ Inuyasha should have been able to smell that Sesshoumaru was near since he wasn't aware of his other senses enough, but Inuyasha didn't know Sesshoumaru was near at all.

"Brother!"

_'Does he expect me to save him? How pathetic?' _

"Brother!" Inuyasha grew pale, hearing something coming from behind. Inuyasha worriedly looked behind him and couldn't even remember how to talk, so he could call his brother's name again.

"Half demon!" There was a snake demon that had so cleverly slid right behind Inuyasha. It was hissing with rage as it lifted itself up to about four times Inuyasha's size. "Half demon!"

Inuyasha had never seen eyes so evil. They were red and glowing very brightly and it frightened him. He didn't know what to do. "Ahhhh!" Inuyasha found the will to stand and began to run for his life. The demon was very fast though, so Inuyasha didn't get very far. Once Inuyasha tripped again, it was all over. The demon wrapped its body around Inuyasha and opened its mouth ready to devour him whole.

"Die, half demon!"

"Brother Sesshoumaru!" He finally remembered what to say and how to say it. Calling his name hadn't worked before, but it was Inuyasha's only hope. If his brother couldn't save him, then no one would. "Brother Sesshoumaru!"

Inuyasha closed his eyes and waited for his fate to come upon him, but instead of the pain of the demon's fangs, he felt the pain of the horrible landing on his bottom. He opened his eyes and looked up to see Sesshoumaru glaring at him, and the demon's body spilt in several pieces. Inuyasha smiled brightly once he saw that he had been saved. "Thank you, brother Sesshoumaru!" Inuyasha thought himself to be safe and stood up, still smiling.

Inuyasha's happiness died down once he saw Sesshoumaru's eyes. He was upset. The way he glared, simply scared Inuyasha. "Inuyasha..."

Inuyasha gulped. Perhaps dying wouldn't have been so bad. "Y-y-y-yes brother?"

"Do not expect me to save you the next time. When I said you had to fend for yourself, I also meant fighting your own battles. I told you that humans would hate you and fear you for having demon blood and the demons would despise you because of your weak human blood. Do you understand, Inuyasha?"

"That demon wanted to kill me because I'm a half demon?" Inuyasha was horrified! Was his life destined to be so horrible?

"There will be more," Sesshoumaru warned, so seriously. There wasn't even the least bit of sympathy in his voice. "You'll have to fight the next time and save yourself. I have no intention of doing so."

"But I..." Inuyasha was afraid to talk to his older brother. He was so intimidating. "I uh...I don't know how to fight."

"You can learn or die."

"Well..." Inuyasha began to blush a little. He didn't want to say anything, so he hid his face by keeping his head down. "Um...then can you teach me?" He got the courage to look up at his brother. "Aren't you a powerful warrior? Can you show me?"  
_  
'He wishes for me to show him? He'll still be useless. What can a half breed possibly accomplish?'_ At least Inuyasha was willing. "Let's be off."

Sesshoumaru began walking away and Inuyasha decided that his brother was going to show him how to fight. He needed help and Sesshoumaru could give it. But still, Inuyasha knew that his brother didn't like him much. _'Will you at least make me strong?' _He wanted to ask his brother so many things, but he was far too afraid to open his mouth and speak_. 'I'll be strong like him.'_ Inuyasha had a new goal in mind_. 'I wanna be a great demon.'_ The fear that was once on him completely withered away and he was ready for the next challenge that would come. It was a strange first day, but now his life was changing, and even though it had started out so horrible, things was beginning to look up.

The two of them continued to travel in the forest, until it ended. Inuyasha still could not keep up though. Sesshoumaru heard Inuyasha struggling to catch up once they were approaching Sesshoumaru's destination. Inuyasha got a sudden burst of energy and ran behind Sesshoumaru's leg and began to shake in fear, once Sesshoumaru stopped. Sesshoumaru thought Inuyasha to be extremely pathetic, but he didn't scold him. "It is only Ah-Un," he said reassuringly.

Inuyasha didn't seem too thrilled about Sesshoumaru's answer. "Ah-Un? What is that?"

"It's the demon's name. Stop quivering in fear," Sesshoumaru commanded. "The demon won't kill you." Ah-Un raised both of its heads in acknowledgement to their master. Inuyasha thought it to be strange. It reminded him of a dragon, from what he had seen from paintings. Since his brother told him that the demon was not dangerous, Inuyasha pushed all fear about the demon aside and ran to the demon's side. "I hope you don't mind..." Inuyasha sat down and rested his back up on Ah-Un.

Ah-Un looked at Sesshoumaru in disagreement, but the monster wasn't going to disobey Sesshoumaru, if Inuyasha resting was what Sesshoumaru wanted. "Are you really that tired?" Sesshoumaru asked. He found it a bit astonishing.

"It's late." Inuyasha began yawning, just for proof of how sleepy he really was. "I wanna sleep."  
_  
'Sleep? We've barely done anything and yet he's tired. What is wrong with this half breed? Is he really so pitiable?'_

Even though Inuyasha was hungry, he didn't say anything about his hunger and quickly fell asleep.

Sesshoumaru had never stopped for anyone before, but he oddly enough sat down and waited for his little brother to wake up. Sesshoumaru didn't need to sleep that often and he wasn't tired at the moment, so he kept an eye on his little brother while he slept. Sesshoumaru watched him, cursed his existence, pondered on if he'd truly do anything significant at all, and asked himself if Inuyasha was worth keeping around. The answer he came to was no, but he decided that Inuyasha could stay. Killing him served no purpose and Inuyasha didn't seem like he was just going to leave, unless Sesshoumaru was to kill him. _'We shall see what you can do, Inuyasha.'_

If Inuyasha was bound to do anything, it was jog Sesshoumaru's curiosity.

To Be Continued...


	3. Chapter 3: Night of the New Moon

Chapter 3

I do not own Inuyasha

"Brother Sesshoumaru!" Inuyasha was running wildly from an ogre demon that had happened to pick up on Inuyasha's scent as Sesshoumaru and Inuyasha were passing though the woods. Inuyasha was gathering food for dinner when it attacked. Inuyasha had now been with his brother for almost two weeks and Sesshoumaru always claimed that he had no intention on protecting Inuyasha. In that short amount of time Inuyasha and Sesshoumaru had been together, Inuyasha had been attacked eight times. Each time ended the same. It would begin with Inuyasha running and screaming for his dear life and then Sesshoumaru would simply watch. Once Sesshoumaru realized that Inuyasha had no idea what he was doing, Sesshoumaru would instruct him, but Inuyasha couldn't do anything. He had no weapons and no attacks. Eventually right before it was all over for Inuyasha, Sesshoumaru would step in and save his little brother, much to both of their surprise.

This time however, Sesshoumaru was not going to interfere.

"Please help me brother!"

The large green creature kept chasing after Inuyasha and Inuyasha couldn't do anything about it but run. He was waiting for his brother to do something, but once Inuyasha finally got a good look in his brother's eyes, he saw that his brother actually wasn't going to help at all. "Half demon!"

Inuyasha became determined, even though the demon was able to grab Inuyasha and hold him up in the air with only one of its hands. _'I've got to be a strong demon like my big brother and like my father!'_ Inuyasha opened his mouth as wide as he could and bit the ogre demon as hard as he could.

"Ahhhh!" In rage and pain, he threw Inuyasha down and he hit his back on a tree.

Inuyasha began to feel so weak. He had hurt himself and it took him a while to get up, but he knew he could. Inuyasha was beginning to toughen up. He really didn't feel hurt, but he felt sick in a way. "What's wrong with me?" he asked aloud.

"I'll kill you half demon!" the ogre yelled, still infuriated.

Inuyasha looked up towards his brother who was a few feet away, watching the whole event going on. "Brother, I do not feel well."

"Are you still alive?" Sesshoumaru asked Inuyasha.

"Yes."

"Then you can still fight."

Inuyasha was beginning to feel tired and weaker even. As he looked off into the distance and saw the sun beginning to set in the west, the feeling only grew stronger. The darker it got, the less Inuyasha could see, which was strange. Inuyasha didn't have perfect night vision like his brother, but it was still very good. Not only that was worse, but his hearing began to decrease and so did his sense of smell. "Brother!"

Sesshoumaru saw the demon reach for Inuyasha, but once Sesshoumaru realized the transformation was complete, he made his move. Even though he had promised not to interfere, Sesshoumaru, without even thinking saved a mortal, his brother.

With a flick of his wrist, Sesshoumaru disposed of the demon by ripping it apart with his light whip and the young and now human Inuyasha was safe. "Brother?" Inuyasha stood up and dusted himself off. He was thankful that his brother was dressed in white and had silver hair. Otherwise, Inuyasha wouldn't have been able to see him. "Thank you."

Sesshoumaru cursed himself and Inuyasha for a moment. Sesshoumaru was determined not to save Inuyasha this time, but given Inuyasha's condition, he surely would have died. That shouldn't have mattered to Sesshoumaru, but it did, and it bothered him greatly._ 'He's become a mortal.' _It disgusted Sesshoumaru, but he knew it would have to happen eventually and at least now Sesshoumaru had an idea when it might be.

"It's really dark," Inuyasha complained a little bit scared.

Sesshoumaru looked up in the sky. "It is the night of the new moon."

"What does that mean?"

Sesshoumaru was a little intrigued by Inuyasha's question_. 'Does he even realize what has happened to him?'_ He probably didn't._ 'His mother probably kept him completely sheltered and he stayed hidden on this night.' _"Come now, Inuyasha."

Inuyasha made sure to stay close to Sesshoumaru. This night Inuyasha felt very vulnerable and didn't really know why.

They traveled until they were out in the open, only a few miles from a human village. They weren't surrounded by the darkness of any tree shade, and Inuyasha was grateful for that. Inuyasha gathered some fire wood and ate roasted mushrooms and various fruits that he had picked up while he traveled. It took him longer to step up his fire, but he eventually got everything together all right. He needed the light from the flame for some reason. "Brother, I feel strange."  
_  
'He doesn't even realize that he's transformed. How can he not realize his power decreasing so much?'_"Inuyasha, it cannot be possible that this is the first time you've been a mortal."

"What do you mean?"

"Does this sort of thing, this feeling, doesn't it happen every month?"

Inuyasha nodded his head up and down. "But what is it?"

_'That idiot.'_ "Inuyasha look at your claws, feel your fangs, and your ears. You shall see what is different."

Inuyasha realized that his nails were short, but it didn't make him think really. Inuyasha was too afraid to feel his fangs with his tongue. The last time he did that, he cut himself. It wasn't until he tried wiggling his ears that he realized there was a change in his appearance. "Ah!" He felt his ears. "What are they doing over there?" He touched them in amazement.

"Are you telling me that even though you transform into a mortal every month or so, you have never realized it?"

Inuyasha was about to shake his head, but a thought came to him. "Actually, my..." he had to stop himself from saying mother, or else his brother would be angry. "I was kept inside a lot and hidden away. I was forced to go to sleep and I always did without question, because I always felt sick."

"You're not sick, you're weak. Your senses have decreased because you're a human."

"I'm a human?" he questioned. "I thought I was a half breed."  
_  
'He knows absolutely nothing. His worthless mother made him worthless.'_ "Inuyasha, it is true that you are half demon, half human, but for every half breed, there is a period of time when half demons become fully human. You apparently become a human the night of the new moon, when there is no moon in the sky."

"Really?" Inuyasha was absolutely clueless to his origins, so he listened to his brother intrigued.

Sesshoumaru was only more disgusted with Inuyasha's appearance. Inuyasha was now a full blooded human. His hair was jet black, instead of silver. His eyes were dark brown, instead of gold. His fangs and claws were gone, and his doggy ears were replaced with normal human ears. Inuyasha's scent was even worse. "Inuyasha, you were kept hidden during nights like this?"

Inuyasha nodded. "That's right Brother Sesshoumaru. I was hidden away and told to sleep, so I always did and never questioned it."

_'Interesting. His mother had enough foresight to know that demons would seek Inuyasha's life for being a half demon and come after him on this night. If he hides away though, he'll truly have no chance to survive at all.'_"Do you remember what we did this morning?"

"You mean how you made me run a lot?" Inuyasha didn't sound very happy at all. His brother had made him do various things since he had been with him. Sesshoumaru would make Inuyasha take care of himself and fight for himself when demons attacked. Sesshoumaru attempted to make Inuyasha learn to swim, but it didn't turn out well and Inuyasha was carried down stream until he eventually washed ashore. He nearly drowned. There were small other tasks Sesshoumaru would make Inuyasha do, like earlier, Sesshoumaru was curious to see how fast Inuyasha could actually run, which was barely faster than a turtle, in Sesshoumaru's point of view. Inuyasha was a child, which was partly the reason. Inuyasha was uncoordinated and could easily lose his balance, but besides that, he was slow.

"Yes Inuyasha, I mean that."

"But it's late."

"Do not argue with me," Sesshoumaru insisted rather angrily. Inuyasha's appearance irritated him to no bounds.

Inuyasha gulped. "How far?" he asked.

"Go back to the end of the woods and meet me here."

"But I can't see!"

"Then train your pathetic human eyes to see better."

"But why? Can't I just hide like before?"

"What will happen when you're discovered Inuyasha? Do you wish to be totally defenseless?"

Inuyasha felt horrible. He hated being scolded by his brother. "No Brother Sesshoumaru. I wish to defend myself."

"Then run."

'_But I'm scared…'_ "I'll go…" Inuyasha stood up and started to run. Even Inuyasha realized how much slower he was. He was determined though, and he pushed himself. He could barely see though and it wasn't long until the young boy accidentally tripped. He still got up though and he ran as fast as he possibly could in order to please his brother.

Sesshoumaru however, was not pleased, and was not going to be pleased_. 'If he was on his own, on nights like this, he would either simply hide away or be killed. He wouldn't be able to defend himself. Even some humans learn to fight and they make themselves stronger, although they could never compare to a demon like me.' _Sesshoumaru was confident that Inuyasha would not have had enough sense to train his human body as well as his demon body. Sesshoumaru was partly confident that Inuyasha wouldn't train himself at all. All Inuyasha knew about demons was the fact that some look like 'big and scary' creatures. _'Inuyasha believes that demons are only claws and fangs. If that is so, he has much to learn.'_

"Ah-Un," he instructed his demon, "go and watch the boy." Ah-Un had rested his body and prepared itself for a night of relaxation, but wasn't going to argue with its master. He got up on all fours and began to march towards Inuyasha. Ah-Un walked slow, but with Inuyasha stumbling every few steps, Ah-Un could perhaps eventually catch up. Ah-Un never did catch up quite to Inuyasha. Ah-Un didn't try. He stayed halfway between the goal and his master. Once Inuyasha doubled back, Ah-Un made his way back to Sesshoumaru.

Once Inuyasha returned to his brother, he collapsed on the ground. He started panting and was sweating so much. He thought his heart was going to jump out of his chest. Inuyasha must have run a mile without stopping. Although he was in good health for a small boy, the fact of the matter is that he was a small boy. Inuyasha had already hurt himself from stumbling so much. He just needed a rest.

"Are you done?" Sesshoumaru asked. He wasn't quite ready for his brother to stop.

Once Sesshoumaru said that, Inuyasha rolled his tired body over so he could look up at his brother without actually getting up. "Brother I am very sore and tired. I wish to sleep. Please let me rest brother!"

"You haven't done anything."

"But I'm different now! I'm a human."

"What difference does that make?"

What difference did that make? Inuyasha was able to sit his tired body up for that matter. He couldn't believe his little human ears. Was he being deceived? "What do you mean by that? I thought you said humans are pathetic and weak. I thought you said they were worthless. I thought you said they were insignificant?"

"But I never once said that they couldn't defend themselves."

"Huh?" Inuyasha didn't understand his brother at all! _'I don't get it!' _Inuyasha grabbed his head and began moaning. "I don't understand what you mean!"

Sesshoumaru didn't understand why Inuyasha was so frustrated. Sesshoumaru was the one who had to deal with a child. "Inuyasha, mortals are weak and cannot possibly compare to a demon's strength, but still, some of them at least find a way to defend themselves. Not only demons will come after you, but humans as well."

"They will?" Inuyasha remembered the villagers and it only fueled a rage. "I remember. It makes sense."

"Have you ever heard of priestess, priests, or monks?"

Inuyasha nodded his head. "Of course I have. I've actually never seen one. Every time one would come to the village I was kept away."

"Most of them could never hope to purify me. I am much too strong. You are a half demon and if you are purified, then it is most likely that only your human form would remain. There are other humans that have no intention on purifying you, Inuyasha. Have you ever heard the term of demon slayers?"

Inuyasha shook his head. "Do they have spiritual powers?"

"No. They simply train themselves to become strong and a group of them can defeat weak demons."

"But how can they do that? How can they have enough strength?"

"They create weapons and armor from parts of demons they have slain. If you are not careful little brother, you could eventually be slain by a human, which would be a pitiful death indeed."

"But I'll be stronger, right?"

"Not if you don't attempt to be stronger, Inuyasha. Right now you're nothing but a weak half breed. If you only depend on your fangs and claws, they'll fail you, just like tonight they did."

"So I should be a strong demon and a strong human?"

"You should be strong period, Inuyasha. Otherwise, you'll die, and I do not plan on having you as my ward the rest of your life. I might have assisted you in the past, but I do not plan on doing anything else for you Inuyasha. You must protect yourself, whether you are human or half demon."

"I understand." Inuyasha ended their little conversation with a smile. Inuyasha then crawled over to Ah-Un, who had just gotten comfortable himself. "Brother..." Inuyasha looked a bit sad by what he was about to say, but he continued on anyway. "I am very sorry I am a half breed. I didn't mean to be."

Sesshoumaru was a bit baffled. Sesshoumaru didn't like his brother, but it wasn't his fault that he was a half demon. He just happened. Sure he was pathetic, what purpose did apologizing for his existence serve? "There's nothing we can do about it now, Inuyasha."

"If I find a way, I'll change." Inuyasha was dead serious. "I wanna be a strong full fledged demon like how you say our father was…and you." Inuyasha closed his eyes and began to drift off to sleep.

'_He wishes to be a full fledged demon? The hopes of a child are astounding. How could he accomplish something like that?'_ Sesshoumaru wasn't tired, so he stayed up all night and watched his little brother. Inuyasha slept so soundly, even though he was so weak. _'He's becoming dependant on me. That has to change.' _

Once the morning had come, Inuyasha stretched and yawned and realized that he felt better. He wiggled his ears and he was glad to know that they were back in their proper spot, resting on top of his head instead of to the side. "I'm all better now."

"You slept longer than usual," Sesshoumaru complained.

"Sorry," Inuyasha wasn't really sorry, but he apologized for the sake of his brother's sanity. Inuyasha really wanted the extra sleep. His human body needed it. "Brother Sesshoumaru…" Inuyasha's question was interrupted once his stomach began to growl. Inuyasha blushed and held his stomach. "I'll get myself some breakfast." Inuyasha really didn't know what to do though. "We haven't passed by a river in a while and I don't know if there's one up ahead so I can catch some fish."

"There is a human village not far, Inuyasha."

Inuyasha was very surprised that his brother said something like that. "Uh…you want to ask a human village for help or do you have money of your own?"

Sesshoumaru was highly offended! He couldn't believe that his little brother asked such a ridiculous question. "I don't ask for help. I command obedience."

Inuyasha didn't say another word to his brother, once Sesshoumaru gave a death glare. _'I don't understand though.' _Sesshoumaru, Inuyasha, and Ah-Un began to travel again and they all headed straight for the human village. Once they were almost there, Sesshoumaru instructed Ah-Un to stay, but Inuyasha and Sesshoumaru entered right on in. _'But doesn't he hate humans? Why would he come here?'_

"Pick whatever you want," Sesshoumaru told Inuyasha.

Inuyasha looked around at all of the goods in the village. He saw some caged chickens that would make a nice meal and a few vegetables that looked very tasty. "I think I know what I want but…"

"Who are you?" One villager approached Sesshoumaru and Inuyasha, thinking that they were men, but on closer observation, he saw that they were not.

"Get out of my way," Sesshoumaru commanded the mortal.

"Demon!" he yelled.

Seeing the human villagers made Inuyasha upset, but instead of fighting them, he hid behind his brother.

"Do not live in fear, Inuyasha." Sesshoumaru was disappointed that his brother hid behind his leg, but at least he wasn't in the way anymore. Now only the men of the village were in his way. They had come, prepared to fight Sesshoumaru foolishly. "You should know better than anyone little brother, how weak and fragile these creatures are." Sesshoumaru stretched his hand forward and a green toxin began to come out of his hand.

Inuyasha was terrified as he saw the flesh of the men began to melt away, but a few seconds later, even their bones were melting. Inuyasha backed away from his brother, fearing him.

Sesshoumaru noticed it and grew curious. _'Does he still have compassion for these creatures, or does he simply tremble because of my great power?'_All of the other villagers began to run away and abandon their home, except for a few men who were still willing to fight. "Why do you tremble in fear, little brother? Do you still care for these creatures?"

Inuyasha realized that his brother was talking to him. He didn't realize at first because he was in such a state of shock. "N-n-n-no!"

"These creatures killed your mother Inuyasha and they seek our lives for simply coming here." Sesshoumaru didn't even want to bother with getting human blood all over his hands, so he once again melted his prey, until only a pile of muck laid before them.

'_They did kill her…'_ Inuyasha was surprised that his brother mentioned his mother, but it was to all prove a point. Inuyasha was afraid of his brother's great power, but he did feel sorry of the men dying, but that was only at first. Remembering what had happened took away his compassion and he hardened his heart. "Are you going to kill the rest of the fleeing villagers?" Inuyasha's voice was quivering from still being a little scared of his brother. Though Inuyasha was truly beginning to despise all mortals, he didn't know if he could stomach seeing a woman die.

"No Inuyasha. Humans are like insects. I crush whatever is in my way and do not seek after a pest problem. If they come before me, I will crush them under my feet."

'_He's a demon and yet he does not mindlessly go around killing like those villagers did to me and my mother.'_ "Could you show me?" Inuyasha asked.

"Show you what?"

"The thing you just did and that light whip thingy that you do?"

"There are things I can do that you can't and there are techniques that you will be able to learn. All you have to do is train yourself. Don't mindless charge into battles like a Neanderthal using your bare strength expecting to win. You'll never improve and you'll get yourself killed."

'_He's so strong and his power is so terrible. He's so cruel in battle and he's so fast! I wish I could be like that. I'll have to work really hard.'_ "Brother, I want to become a great demon! I will someday. I swear I will."

'_You're lacking what it takes little brother. That's one hope you may never come to terms with.'_"Inuyasha, gather whatever you want from here and let's be off."

"But I thought you wanted to conquer lands. This is your land."

"Surely enough, all things shall be mine Inuyasha, but humans will fall so quickly that I don't concern myself with them unless I have to. Demon territories are much more interesting."

"So we're going to fight demons?"

"We're?" Sesshoumaru couldn't recall his brother being ready or at least thinking he was, but Inuyasha could at least learn how to fight on the way. At least he wanted to learn. "Yes, Inuyasha, we are."

Inuyasha gathered some things from the village that he thought he might need after he got some breakfast. He gathered many things and placed them in a bag and once he met up with Ah-Un once again, he tied it to Ah-Un's saddle so he could have some supplies. Sesshoumaru wasn't high maintenance, and Inuyasha was still trying to break out of that.

"Brother," he asked Sesshoumaru when they had exited out of the village and continued on their journey, "how long will it take to become a great demon?"

"For you, perhaps forever."

"Are those all the powers you have? I thought you could become a big scary monster dog."  
_  
'What is this fool talking about?' _Although irritated in his mind, Sesshoumaru didn't really let his irritation show that often. "Yes, I suppose you could call it that. I can transform, and much more. You have yet to see the power of Tetsusaiga."

"The Tessawhat?"

"The Tetsusaiga, and I'm sure you'll see its power soon enough. Our father left me this sword as an inheritance."

"As an inheritance?" Inuyasha questioned. "That's pretty cool. Did our father leave me something?" Before Sesshoumaru answered, Inuyasha felt a pain on his chest and he hit it.

'_Myouga?' _

Inuyasha looked at his hand. "It's Myouga the flea!" It took Myouga a moment to pop back in place, but once he did, Inuyasha smiled. "Please don't suck my blood."

Myouga bowed his head in respect. "Master Inuyasha, how are you doing?" Myouga bowed once again, out of respect for Sesshoumaru, but he was very afraid though. "Lord Sesshoumaru."

"Oh yeah," Inuyasha said. "I forgot he was a demon Lord. I heard it somewhere."

"Then what have you been calling him?" Myouga was afraid for Inuyasha's safety. If Inuyasha wasn't showing Sesshoumaru the proper respect, then he might just end up dead.

"I've been calling him Brother Sesshoumaru."

"What are you doing here?" interrupted Sesshoumaru. "It has been a while, Myouga."

"Yes, Sesshoumaru. I have not seen you since, your father passed away." '_On purpose! You're much too cold hearted and evil to be trusted!'_"I have come seeking out Inuyasha. I have usually come by sometimes on the night of the new moon and converse with Inuyasha's mother to see how Inuyasha is doing." He sighed. "I was sad to see the village was abandon and their home had been burned down."

"Shhh!" Inuyasha instructed. "You're not supposed to mention her, or my brother will get upset, Myouga!"

"Oh I see…" _'That monster isn't even letting the boy speak of his mother? He's still black hearted.' _"Lord Sesshoumaru, I am surprised to see that you have taken Inuyasha in as your ward, seeing that he is only half demon."

"And what business is it of yours, Myouga?"

Myouga was trembling in fear. "Well I…"

"Myouga," Sesshoumaru stepped closer to Inuyasha who was holding Myouga in his hand. "Myouga, tell me what happened to the Sounga."

"But…" _'I knew that this was a bad idea! I knew he'd ask about the sword, even though he has possession of the Tetsusaiga!' _"Uh…Saya was supposed to have control over that! I handled the Tenseiga, Toutousai handled Tetsusaiga, and Saya handled the Sounga."

"And do you mean to tell me that you have no idea where it is?" Sesshoumaru could smell Myouga's fear. "I know that you know Myouga. You should tell me or die."

"But why kill Myouga?" Inuyasha didn't understand what was going on at all. Myouga and Sesshoumaru kept saying things that he didn't understand.

"We threw him down the bone eaters well and haven't seen him since. That's the truth Sesshoumaru."

"The bone eaters well?" he asked. "I'm not familiar with it."

"Neither was I and Toutousai, but we did as Saya asked."

Sesshoumaru decided to let it go. _'I do have the Tetsusaiga. If I do decide to seek after the Sounga, I'll do it when it later suits my purposes.'_ "Lets continue on, Inuyasha."

"Yes brother."

"But…" Myouga jumped up on Inuyasha's shoulder, "your mother is gone?"

Inuyasha slowly nodded. "Those filthy humans slaughtered her."

"How terrible!" Myouga couldn't believe it. Izayoi was such a beautiful woman. It was a real pity that she was dead. His master loved her so much and gave his life for her in the end. _'Filthy humans?'_ That certainly wasn't something Inuyasha had heard before he met Sesshoumaru. _'It would seem that Inuyasha will become more like Sesshoumaru rather than his father if he continues to be with his brother.' _

"Where are we going brother?"

"Isn't it obvious?" Sesshoumaru asked Inuyasha. "I am going to rule this land, not just the land my father has set before me. I shall become the greatest demon in all the face of the world and all shall be mine."

"On to a battle?" Myouga jumped off of Inuyasha's shoulder and began running away.

"Where are you going?" he asked. Myouga didn't have the time to answer. Sesshoumaru was too dangerous for his taste.

"Don't mind Myouga. He flees all of the time from battle. He's a coward and I have far greater concerns on my mind rather than that pest."

"And where are we going?"

"There is a demon tribe up ahead. They shall submit their territory or die."  
_  
'My brother is really strong, and he'll do anything to complete his goals, even kill.'_ Inuyasha was surprised that his brother's behavior didn't really bother him that much. At first it was frightening, but Inuyasha was beginning to crave power and desired to be like his brother.

Yes, it was beginning to be yet another normal day for the two sons of The Great Dog Demon.

To be continued...


	4. Chapter 4: Home

Chapter 4

I don't own Inuyasha

"I wonder when he shall return." Many years had passed now. Inuyasha was now a little over 100 years old and yet his body only looked about ten or eleven years old. Inuyasha had grown accustomed to being with his brother and taking care of himself, so when his brother told him to stay alone for a bit, he didn't mind that much. Inuyasha's only concern was the fact that he couldn't go to whatever battle he wanted to go to. _'I'm really hungry.' _

Inuyasha and Sesshoumaru would often go into human villages with his brother and would do as they pleased. Inuyasha assumed that he could make it work for him alone, so he walked into a human village while his brother was gone off, and looked around. Every one in the village could tell that he was a demon. There was panic among some since they could tell he was a dog demon, but the adults saw that he was only a child and did not fear Inuyasha.

"And what are you doing here in our village?"

A crowd began to form around Inuyasha and he noticed that among the crowd were some monks. He didn't have much experience with them and didn't know how to really defend himself against them. Still, he didn't let that show. "I am not afraid of you humans. Step aside if you value your lives." Inuyasha figured that was something his brother would say. The villagers didn't seem too worried though.

"Perish demon!" Two different monks threw sutras at Inuyasha and Inuyasha was fast enough to dodge the first one, but the second one caught him off guard and he was subdued.

"Ahhh!" His body was being electrocuted so badly that he dropped to his knees. At his weakest moment, that was when the men of the village began to beat him. They began kicking him, punching him, and beating him with various objects. Inuyasha was thankful he was part demon, or else he'd be in real trouble. He was in pain and bleeding, but once his anger built up high enough, he was able to break free and force his way up and the humans off. "You disgusting humans!"

Some of the crowd ran away, but the two monks stayed to fight. They resembled one another except there was an age gap. One looked about twenty while the other was about sixteen. The two monks prepared themselves for an attack and began praying while one samurai attacked. He swung his sword at Inuyasha, but Inuyasha stepped out of the way.

_'I won't die!'_ He closed his eyes and screamed "Iron Reaver, soul stealer!" When he opened his eyes he saw that he had gutted the man and he was now motionless and lifeless. Inuyasha's mouth dropped, not knowing exactly what to do. He had never killed a human while in control before and the sight of it made him sick. _'What did I do?'_ He dropped to his knees and began throwing up at the scent of the human's blood so thick in the air.

"Attack now!" commanded the eldest monk. They both attacked, but Inuyasha wasn't going to die, no matter how sick he just felt at that moment. He growled and slashed at the younger monk, who was weaker and he fell. Inuyasha hadn't killed him, but he could no longer walk. Inuyasha thought for sure that the older monk would attack him, but he was stricken with fear and began to run off.

"No!" the younger monk yelled. "Brother no! Please don't leave me all alone to die! Brother!"

The monk didn't give a second thought and continued to run away, leaving his little brother behind.

"He just left his little brother?" Inuyasha was confused at first to how he could just abandon his own flesh and blood. "My brother would never..." That made Inuyasha's blood boil. "How could you just leave your younger brother like that? How could you?" All of is pity and regret for killing that other man suddenly left and he despised them even more.

Just before Inuyasha ran to finish off the human who was sick enough to actually leave his own family behind, Inuyasha heard his only family call to him. "Inuyasha..."

Inuyasha's attention left the monk brothers and he turned to see that his own brother was behind him. "Brother...I thought that you were..."

"I changed my mind," he said simply. "That is all, Inuyasha."

Inuyasha had been with his brother long enough to figure out his actions. "You just said you were going to leave to see how I would handle myself!"

"And?"

"Well..." Inuyasha shrugged his shoulders. "Well...never mind." He gave up on his brother and pointed to the monk that was running away. "I want to-"

"Finish him off? It makes no difference to me. Go ahead and do it."

Inuyasha was a bit surprised. "You don't expect me to?"

"He's running and is no real threat to you. It doesn't serve any real purpose; unless it purely gave you pleasure. If slaying such easy prey satisfies you, than do it. I wouldn't waste my energy."

Inuyasha realized that the young monk was speaking. "Please don't hurt him! He's my brother! He's all I have! Please don't touch him! Kill me, but let him live! Please! I beg of you..."

_'He still wishes for his brother to live, even though he was just abandoned?'_ Inuyasha knew that he could depend on his brother, even if Sesshoumaru didn't easily let that show. This human's brother abandoned him, and though Inuyasha should have admired the merciful heart of the younger brother, he saw his hopes in vain and despised the elder brother. He saw the weakness of the human race and despised them. He had grown to hate them in further experiences after his mother was killed. Most of his experiences with them didn't end well and now he had enough. "They're not worth my time."

"Then let's go."

The young monk was grateful to see them go and to know that his brother was still alive, even though he had to live with the pain of knowing that he was abandoned.

Inuyasha hadn't said much since his brother met up with him again, but Inuyasha realized that they were headed west. "Uh...brother where are we going?"

"Home."

"Home?"

"To the Western Lands, Inuyasha." It had been a long time since Sesshoumaru had been home, but he found it necessary to go. He aged so slowly compared to Inuyasha, but they both had quite a bit of a spurt. Inuyasha had grown very fast and his clothes needed to be properly adjusted. Sesshoumaru too had grown a bit taller and his face and body had matured even further. He was beginning to resemble is father's features even more than before.

"You're not ashamed to bring me?" Inuyasha asked, a bit baffled and a bit happy. "Won't they too despise me because I'm not a full fledged demon?"

"Perhaps they will, but nevertheless, they won't kill you, Inuyasha. Demons are too afraid to attack you while you're in my presence."

"But they've always attacked me brother. I don't understand."

"I allowed those demons to attack" he admitted.

"But…" Inuyasha pouted with anger. "You let them try to kill me all of those times?"

"You've faired well, Inuyasha. You're still alive, aren't you?"

Inuyasha really didn't have a comeback after that. His brother was right. He was still alive and he was doing exceptionally well. Everyday was a new experience and he had even done a new technique that he made up.

"Iron Reaver, Soul Stealer?" Sesshoumaru questioned. He thought it was foolish.

Inuyasha smiled and blushed. "You don't like it?"

Sesshoumaru didn't even bother to answer his question. Of course it was a stupid name for a technique, but Inuyasha was a child and children tend to do stupid things. He was coming accustomed to Inuyasha's foolishness, just as Inuyasha was coming accustomed to Sesshoumaru's cold hearted nature.

"I thought it was cool…" Inuyasha muttered under his breath.

It took a while for the two brother's to actually reach their destination, but not entirely too long with Ah-Un, who had the ability to fly. Inuyasha rode on Ah-Un, while Sesshoumaru flew himself, which Inuyasha thought was the most amazing thing ever. Inuyasha wished that he could fly as well, but when he asked his brother if it could be taught, Sesshoumaru explained that a half demon such as Inuyasha could never learn how to fly, so Inuyasha's ears dropped and his spirit was ruined all day, until Sesshoumaru announced that they had arrived.

"We're here?" Inuyasha looked below him and saw hills and valleys all before him. "This is all yours?"

"Everything is mine Inuyasha. It's all a matter of time."

"Oh…" Inuyasha looked and looked and the land was nice and beautiful, but he was expecting a castle or something like that. _'Are we still going to rough it out in the wilderness?' _Inuyasha sighed as the two of them began to land. Inuyasha could sense something, like other demon auras, but he wasn't sure where it was coming from. "Uh…brother, why are we just standing here?"

"Can't you see little brother?"

"See what?" Inuyasha squinted his eyes, hoping that it would somehow help, but he had no such luck. "I don't get it." Just as Inuyasha finished his sentence, the presence began to get stronger, but not only that but Inuyasha could smell the scent of the demons.

'_The fool doesn't know what a barrier is?'_ Sesshoumaru began to doubt whether taking Inuyasha there was a wise decision. Sure he's a lot smarter and stronger than how he would be than if he was alone, but still, he's only a half breed.

"Brother, look!" A gate began to appear in front of the two brothers, and the doors were huge. "I don't think I can jump that high!" Inuyasha apparently didn't need to, since the doors flung opened and let the two in. "Look at that brother!" Inuyasha pointed straight ahead to the biggest mansion he had ever seen in his whole entire life. "It's like a mountain, brother!"

Inuyasha was so amazed by the mansion that he completely missed all of the surrounding dog demons. "Lord Sesshoumaru?" they all began to say.

There was one demon in particular; a dog demon female that seemed very excited, but she didn't say a word at first. Inuyasha hadn't quite ever seen anyone like her. Inuyasha suspected that all dog demons would look like Sesshoumaru, but they were surrounded with dog demons that looked so different. This one had long black hair and warm brown skin. Inuyasha thought she was a very pretty demon. "Lord Sesshoumaru!" She ran to him and stopped right in front of him, knowing that he wouldn't openly display any affection to her, even though she was so happy. "It's been a while since you left here, Lord Sesshoumaru."

"Ziah."

"Ziah?" Inuyasha questioned.

She glanced down at Inuyasha, very surprised. "A half demon? You brought a half demon here?" Once she noticed his glare, she corrected herself. "Not that I was questioning your power or your methods, Lord Sesshoumaru, but I just find it odd. I would have thought that you of all people would-"

"Despise them?" he asked.

"Well, since we all know what happened to your father, you can understand my speculation."

The mention of how Sesshoumaru's father and his outcome struck a nerve of annoyance, but Inuyasha distracted his anger. "Uh…" Inuyasha bowed his head a little bit. "My name is Inuyasha."

"Don't be so foolish, Inuyasha." Sesshoumaru scolded him. "You should only bow to me."

Inuyasha felt embarrassed, being scolded in front of her and the surrounding dog demons. Sesshoumaru always scolded him, but they didn't usually have an audience. It was usually just the two of them.

"Inuyasha?" She bent down and got eye level with him to study his features. He didn't have any of the facial markings that dog demons usually had, but that was understandable, since he was only a half breed. His ears were different, but at least they looked demonic, as well as his golden eyes. Inuyasha actually looked a lot like how she remembered Sesshoumaru to be. She noticed that his clothes need to be adjusted. "The cloth of the fire rat is the only thing your father gave you?"

Inuyasha nodded. "I never actually met him though."

"Did you see your brother's gift?" she asked with pride. "It's the legendary Tetsusaiga and it can kill one hundred demons with one stroke and your brother is the only one worthy of wielding it, with your father gone. Your brother is the strongest demon in the world. Did you know that little one?"

Inuyasha nodded his head. "He mentions it a lot."

That made her laugh. Sesshoumaru was always arrogant, but she always loved his confidence. A great leader needed confidence in order to lead and no one was as worthy to lead the dog demons as Sesshoumaru. She stopped observing Inuyasha and paid close attention to Sesshoumaru's features. He certainly did look different. He was older and much better looking. He looked even more like his father, but not as rugged as his father, but more of a graceful beauty. His face wasn't as round as it used to be, but was more masculine and defined. His eyes had narrowed more and his hair had grown exceptionally longer as well. She could see that his body had matured. He was much better built. "My Lord Sesshoumaru, you've grown up."

"And you."

She didn't expect him to comment at all to that, but he apparently noticed that she too had matured. "It's nice to have you back."

"I require new clothes," he told her. "He'll need adjustments as well."

"Not a new one?"

"It's my fathers!" Inuyasha yelled. "I'm keeping it!"

"And what of that other sword?" she asked. "Your father didn't leave you that?"

Inuyasha looked up to his brother to find out what she was talking about. Sesshoumaru couldn't believe that she would ask such a question. "Inuyasha would never be able to wield a sword like the Sounga. Why would you even ask of it?"

"I wasn't referring to the Sounga. I know you very well Lord Sesshoumaru and if you don't have possession of the Sounga, then it must be unable to grasp for anyone. I was referring to the Tenseiga, that other sword forged by your father's fang. You know the one that can save lives and bring people back from the dead?"

"Bring people back from the dead?" Inuyasha asked.

Sesshoumaru realized Inuyasha's curiosity and understood why a boy like him would be interested in that sort of power. He knew what Inuyasha was thinking, and it disgusted him. "Why bother finding a sword that can't kill?"

"If it's your father's, it must hold a lot of true power."

"The Tenseiga would be useless. There is no need of such a sword."

"The kid seems a bit sentimental. I would assume that he'd like a lovely family heirloom. Besides, a half breed like that might just need a sword like that. He seems like he'd need the sword of healing rather than a sword of destruction."

Inuyasha growled. "I'm plenty strong!" he argued. "I fought countless of demons."

"And I've killed most of them," Sesshoumaru pointed out. "You are still a weak half demon, because of that filthy human blood in your veins." Inuyasha frowned and said nothing. "You may have father's blood coursing through your veins, but you still have treacherous human blood in your body. Don't pretend to be stronger than what you are. Know your place, Inuyasha."

'_Know my place? But he's the one who said to disregard my human blood. What does he want me to do? I don't understand what he wants from me. I'm really trying to change, but I don't know how to. How can he expect me to disregard my human blood if he keeps reminding me of it?'_ It was hard on Inuyasha, and definitely confusing, but he decided to keep quiet.

"Take Inuyasha," Sesshoumaru commanded.

She didn't understand Sesshoumaru's and Inuyasha' relationship, but she wasn't going to question it. Though she herself didn't like half breeds, she wasn't foolish enough to harm Sesshoumaru's younger half breed brother. She didn't have a death wish. "Come along, Inuyasha."

"But where are you going?" he asked his brother, before he left.

She looked panicked for a moment and grabbed Inuyasha by his ears. Inuyasha cried out in pain, but she didn't care. "Want some advice kid? Don't you dare ever question him again, or he'll kill you."

"But he's my brother, he'd never-"

"He'd never what?" She had a smirk on her face. Picking with Inuyasha would at least be fun. "Inuyasha, just in case you didn't know this, your brother is totally ruthless and nothing is more important to him than his own ambitions. Nothing can stop him and he demands respect for his great power. Let me give you a piece of advice, little one. If you are wise, you'll never stand in his way. It's better to be at his right hand, than in his path. Otherwise, you'll be crushed." She lightly punched Inuyasha in the face, but it bothered Inuyasha a little bit.

_'He would never ever hurt me,'_ Inuyasha told himself in his mind. _'He's been taking care of me since I was very little.' _Inuyasha watched the eyes of the demons as he walked with Ziah. They were all in shock that he was there and disgusted that he was there as well. Inuyasha expected that he wouldn't be accepted, but he didn't mind too much. He was used to being despised and was accustomed to only having his brother's company. He only hoped that his brother wouldn't treat him differently because Sesshoumaru was home again. "Can we go to the castle?"

"That's where we're going."

"So what's he doing?" The other dog demons started to come closer to Sesshoumaru and some began speaking to him, but as politely as possible.

"Why do you ask so many questions, Inuyasha? Just be quiet and accept it all, otherwise you might end up dead, little half breed."

Inuyasha didn't bother wondering about his brother anymore. It was pointless. Inuyasha looked around the land and saw that the land was very different than anything he had ever seen. The land had a very dark appeal to it, but it was still was a nice environment, but with an eerie sort of feel. It wasn't a place for humans. The air was also strange. Inuyasha could breathe just fine, but he realized that it was unusual, filled with demonic aura and toxins.

"Is your brother staying long?"

Inuyasha snapped out of his trance. "Oh…well how am I supposed to know? He gets mad if I ask too many questions. I don't know where we go. I only follow him."

"I see. Let's hurry along, Inuyasha. I'd rather be with your brother rather than a pest like you," she said under her breath.

* * *

Ziah took Inuyasha into the mansion and tried to avoid being seen with Inuyasha. Everyone was uncomfortable with Inuyasha being there, but no one would kill him, since Sesshoumaru obviously didn't want him dead. As soon as she got in the mansion, she took Inuyasha's clothes and made him take a bath. She hated his scent. While Inuyasha was taking a bath, Ziah came through the sliding door with his clothes folded up nice and neat in one of her hands and in the other, she was holding a hot bucket of water. "It's altered" she told him, very annoyed. She threw his clothes down on the floor and poured the hot bucket of water on top of Inuyasha's head.

Inuyasha bit his lip from feeling the water just suddenly drop on top of his head. "What's the matter with you?" His body was a little red now and the water was warm.

"I don't feel hot of cold, I was curious to see if you did." She began laughing at the little half breed, but only until Inuyasha got incredibly angry. He started growling like a wild animal and she calmed herself down and stopped laughing. "Don't be such a little bother, Inuyasha. I only wanted to see." She bent down and got eye level with the little half breed, which was still angry. "You know, you look a lot like how your brother did when he was younger."

Inuyasha suddenly calmed down. "What does that have to do with anything?"

"I suppose it really doesn't have to do with anything at all." Her admiring of his features ended soon. If she stayed in Inuyasha's presence too long, his scent would begin to bother her. She hated his half breed blood, especially since she knew it bothered Sesshoumaru so much. "I have more important matters to attend to, like seeing what your brother is doing."

"He's in the mansion?"

"Of course. It belongs to him, half breed."

Just as she was leaving, Inuyasha curiosity got the better of him and he couldn't wait to ask the question any longer. He had to ask someone and he was very afraid to ask his brother. She was his only choice. Besides, she was the one who brought it up. "Wait a moment!"

She considered just leaving Inuyasha and not seeing what he wanted, but she did at least find the boy to be interesting. Besides, she didn't want Sesshoumaru to be angry at her and he specifically told her to take care of Inuyasha. "Well little one, what do you want?"

"I want…" Inuyasha's ears fell. He felt like he shouldn't even be asking about it. He figured it was wrong for some reason. Still, he decided to ask. "Well, you mentioned a sword. You said that this sword is a sword that was forged by my father's fang…" Inuyasha realized that by the look on her face, she knew exactly what he was talking about, but she didn't seem willing to help at all. _'Should I bother asking?' _He decided to take the risk. "Uh…can the sword really bring people back from the dead?"

She was amused by his question and had a hard time deciding whether or not she should say anything at all. Sesshoumaru obviously didn't care too much for the sword, but it supposedly was Inuyasha's. "Well, I suppose I'll tell you all that I know and I've said what I've know, kid. I heard that the sword can bring the dead back to life. I've never seen your father use it and I don't even think Sesshoumaru has seen that happen either."

"If I find it, can I bring someone back who's been dead a long time?" he asked.

"Why don't you ask your brother Inuyasha? He's actually seen the sword and met Toutousai, the demon who has forged it. I have no answers to give to you, half breed." She saw his sad reaction and decided that she would mention Inuyasha's question to Sesshoumaru. There was obviously something important that Inuyasha didn't want Sesshoumaru to know. "I'll speak to him on it."

Once she left, Inuyasha finished up his bath and tried on his altered clothes. They fit perfectly and he was happy for that. He didn't wish to get rid of them. Sesshoumaru spoke little, but he would speak highly of their father. Inuyasha placed a lot of pride in his father and treasured his only item that tied them together, but now he wanted to know of this new item that might belong to him, the Tenseiga. _'I should find Toutousai or perhaps even Myouga.'_

* * *

"He wants to know of the Tenseiga," Ziah told Sesshoumaru while the two of them looked over the valley on his balcony. "Is this a problem?"

"Searching for it isn't worth my time," Sesshoumaru explained. "It's a worthless sword. I have the Tetsusaiga and that is all that matters."

"Forgive me for asking…" he faced her and she gazed into his golden eyes. "Lord Sesshoumaru, would you protest to the boy finding it at all? It seems that the boy has a motive for finding the sword."

"I am aware of his motives and I don't plan on stopping or supporting his future decisions. As of right now, the boy is perhaps too weak to even try to survive on his own."

'_If I wouldn't know any better, I would dare say that Sesshoumaru has grown a bit of compassion.'_ She tried to hide her smile. _'That would mean there's hope for me after all.'_ Ziah turned her head away just in time for her smile to fully bloom on her face.

Sesshoumaru noticed her smile, but thought it best not to ask. Females seemed to often mix curiosity with concern and Sesshoumaru's ambitions were more important than some woman.

"Lord Sesshoumaru, I wish for you to know that you have resources at your disposal. So many demons would bow down and do your will and help you get whatever land you want. We're only waiting for your command."

"I don't need any assistance."

"I'm not a fool, my Lord. Everyone knows that you don't require help, but I'm just saying that we're willing to help you do whatever you need to."

That was true. Sesshoumaru had loyal servants and even if he did get help. Sesshoumaru considered saying something but there was no need to do so. He was going to do what he wanted to, rather than what anyone else wanted. If he felt that he should use his followers, he would. If he didn't, he wouldn't. Sesshoumaru didn't need help, but he might conquer faster if he had help. He at first preferred to be alone, at least for a few more years.

"I won't say anymore…" Ziah told him. She just stood with him until Sesshoumaru decided that he should speak with his brother.

* * *

It was the middle of the night, which didn't affect Sesshoumaru too much. Inuyasha had found a comfortable room and quickly fell asleep. He had never slept in a bed so large and comfortable before. It was a lot better than roughing it out in the forest. He was having a peaceful sleep, until his brother came into his room and began calling him. "Inuyasha."

Inuyasha was trained to wake up to Sesshoumaru's voice. If Sesshoumaru had to call more than once, he would be angry with Inuyasha. He was still tired and took his time getting up. He sat up, stretched, and yawned. "Hello brother." He scratched his stomach. "So, what's going on?"

"We are leaving in the morning."

"What?" Inuyasha's sleepiness left him immediately. "But why are we leaving? I like this place. This bed is large and comfortable and nice. "

"We came here for a few things Inuyasha. That is all. We're not settling."

Inuyasha noticed that his brother's clothes were different. He was wearing a was red and white kimono, with some flower patterns on it. Inuyasha liked it a bit better than his other one. "Brother, why do you want to leave your home?"

"I've still got work to be done, Inuyasha, and nothing shall stand in my way." Sesshoumaru drew his sword, the Tetsusaiga, and held it in front of Inuyasha fully transformed. Inuyasha was frightened. The tip of the Tetsusaiga was right in front of Inuyasha's nose. "Be still Inuyasha. My blade could easily fall and cut your nose off."

"But…" Inuyasha was sweating heavily. He had never been so scared in his life. He had been attacked countless of times, but this was different. His brother wasn't there to protect him now. His brother was the one holding the sword. Inuyasha could only think of Ziah's warnings. She told him that Sesshoumaru would kill him. Inuyasha thought for sure that he wouldn't, but now he wasn't too sure. "Brother?"

"This sword is the Tetsusaiga. This sword is the fang of destruction, created in order to kill. You've seen me use it, Inuyasha. You know its power."

"Y-y-yes brother! I know of its power."

"The other sword, the Tenseiga, is a sword of healing. It is a blade that cannot cut and is said to bring people back from the dead." Sesshoumaru could see his little brother's fear so strongly. He was terrified. He believed he was going to die. "Inuyasha, you seek information on the Tenseiga, because it can bring those who are dead back to life."

"But it was our father's sword…" he tried to explain. "Could it be mine?"

"If you wish to find it, then you may. I do not wish to find such a useless weapon. You Inuyasha, you need a sword that you can use to protect _yourself _with, not a sword that can protect you. The Tenseiga would not do that. Your interest in the sword is to bring your dead mortal mother back from the grave."

Inuyasha tried not to move, but his body was shaking. He didn't want his brother to be angry, but no matter how much he tried not to mention his mother, she would come to mind. His feelings couldn't change for her. He hated humans, but his mother did nothing wrong. "I am sorry brother. I…I was only curious if it could be done!"

"And if you could, would you bring her back, Inuyasha?"

"I…" Inuyasha didn't know what to say.

"I told you that you could travel with me if you disregarded your humanity."

"But I…I don't know how…" Inuyasha didn't know what to do. "I…I don't know how."

Sesshoumaru raised his sword and just when Inuyasha thought his brother would lower it, it returned to its normal form and became a rusty old sword. "Inuyasha, I despise your wretched mother. She caused our father's demise, you and she. I despise their union and I despise what you are."

"Do you really hate me brother?" he asked so sadly. "I don't mean to be-"

"I despise what you are Inuyasha. That does not mean that I particularly despise you."

Inuyasha was a bit confused. _'So he doesn't hate me? He wasn't going to actually kill me?'_ "Brother you tell me not to be human and yet you call me half breed and tell me to know my place. I do not understand."

"Inuyasha, you've seen humans and you've had experiences with them. I said disregard your humanity. You cannot deny what is in your blood, little brother. Your actions do not have to be like them. They are insects, and though you have their weakness, you still have demon blood, father's blood."

Inuyasha was finally beginning to understand. "Yes, brother." Inuyasha was still a little frightened though.

"We leave at dawn, Inuyasha." Just before Sesshoumaru left out, he told Inuyasha, "It would be too late to bring her back Inuyasha. Her soul has already been collected and rests in the afterlife."

Inuyasha's heart fell. When Sesshoumaru left the room, Inuyasha collapsed on his bed and thought of her. _'You truly are gone, mother. I cannot be with you.'_ It had been a long time, but he couldn't forget. _'I'll have to let you go.'_

To be continued…


	5. Chapter 5: Enter Jaken

Chapter 5

I do not own Inuyasha

"Brother" Inuyasha finally asked "what of that Ziah woman?" Inuyasha was curious to know more about her, but hadn't really spoken a word to his brother ever since they left the Western Lands. Inuyasha was afraid that his brother was still angry with him and would kill him.

"What of her?" was his cold reply?

"Uh...well..." Inuyasha noticed that Sesshoumaru acted a little different around her. It wasn't too much, but it was noticeable for Inuyasha who had been living with him for almost a century. "Do you like her?" he finally questioned.

"She's tolerable."

That wasn't the answer Inuyasha was looking for. Inuyasha thought Ziah was mean, but he did think she was very pretty and capable of being nice. She showed the utmost respect to Sesshoumaru. "Do you like her, like her? Do you think she's pretty?"

Sesshoumaru was not going to answer his questions, but he figured with telling Inuyasha, it wouldn't really matter. Children's opinions didn't matter that much, so if they can be tolerated, their easier to talk to. "She's appealing."

"What do you like about her?" he asked.

Sesshoumaru glared at his little brother to stop him from asking questions. "She fights well and is completely loyal to me and my ambitions."

The glare meant for Inuyasha to stop asking questions. Anymore and there might have been a whack in the head. Inuyasha knew this, but wanted to squeeze one more out. "Are you going to marry her?" Inuyasha was frightened for his life, but he was just so curious. Inuyasha saw a lot of dog demons that day, but Ziah was the prettiest.

"Inuyasha," Sesshoumaru answered a bit restlessly. "There is nothing more important to me than my own ambitions. I certainly am not about to let a woman get in the way of anything. The only thing a woman is, is a big distraction. I don't need yet another nuisance. You're a big one yourself, Inuyasha."

_'He doesn't want a woman in the way of him ambitions?'_ Inuyasha questioned. _'Well then, neither do I!_' So Inuyasha vowed only to serve his brother and seek power. _'And I'm going to become powerful.'_

Things continued to be usual between the two brothers until they decided to pass through the land of Musashi. Inuyasha didn't understand why they were passing through there, but regardless, he was excited about seeing his brother get to fight something. "So I hear there's a big giant demon in this land. I heard that it was at war with a great number of other demons. Are you going to kill it?"

"Things are not as they appear, Inuyasha. The squabble is not worth my time. I'm looking for other foes."

"Other foes? Like who?"

"Some former acquaintances of mine that have disappeared. I have not seen them in quite sometime. They are obviously hiding in order to gain power to defeat me. They are no match for me, so I am not concerned whether they make themselves more powerful, but they will not bow down to my will. That much, I am certain of, Inuyasha."

"So what kind are they?"

"Panther demons."

"Cats huh?" Inuyasha smiled. "Well, I'd like to fight them."

"I would be amazed if you could survive their assault alone, Inuyasha. They are quite the cowards though. Last time, they fled from battle after father killed their master."

"They'd probably flee again, since you have so much power, brother."

Sesshoumaru didn't respond, though he did secretly enjoy his brother's boasts. Of course he enjoyed being worshiped. He wanted to rule everything! His little brother doing it though, was oddly enough, better than just one of his followers simply doing it and he couldn't quite explain why. Everything involving Inuyasha was strange, right down to the fact that Sesshoumaru was letting his little brother live. Now Sesshoumaru was taking care of him and actually teaching him how to take care of himself. It was more than what he expected that he'd ever do, especially for a half demon.

"What's that?" Inuyasha pointed up ahead of them and saw a battle going on.

"I told you Inuyasha. Things are not always as they appear, or rather, not always what you hear. This is the war you were speaking of."

"What?" he asked in unbelief. He was expecting so much more. There was an old female demon with long white hair fighting off little green toad-like creatures. The giant demon had one of the demons, which appeared to be the leader, in its hands and was about to devour him. "Oh, this is lame. Should we just go around?" Inuyasha asked.

"Inuyasha, never go around for anyone. Trample those in your path and curse them under your feet." Though the demon was much taller than him, he showed it no respect, and definitely no fear. "You're in my way. Step aside."

The leader of the small demons gazed at Sesshoumaru, but the large demon didn't seem to notice.

"I said you're in my way." Sesshoumaru held his hand forward and it began to glow. "Understand?" He used the light whip and with one stroke, chopped both of his hands off, and with the second he finished the demon off and it's captive fell.

"Brother Sesshoumaru, that was amazing."

"It wasn't even worth the effort."

"Clear a path for them!" The leader yelled. As the two brother's passed by, he gazed that the taller one and thought him to be so beautiful and dashing. He had never seen another demon like that. _'I must know who he is!' _He could smell that the smaller one was a half demon, but he didn't care. He followed them anyway and instructed his followers to live their own lives and forget about him. He had a master now.

Inuyasha noticed that the little imp was following. "Brother, that demon is following us."

"I'm aware."

"May I destroy him?"

"For what purpose?"

"It's following us."

"Aren't you curious to know why?"

"No…" he muttered. He wasn't curious, but his brother obviously was. Inuyasha just got the horrible feeling that his brother who he worshiped wasn't going to be his only companion, which he hated. _'Man…what does that little imp want?'_

"Excuse me!" the small demon said, running closer to them. "I know it wasn't your intention to save me, but you still have and I would like to repay the favor!" He bowed his head in respect and waited for the silver haired demon to reply. Instead, he said nothing and the two brothers continued walking. "Wait! Where are you going?"

Inuyasha and Sesshoumaru walked into a forest and reached a waterfall. Inuyasha didn't know what his brother was doing, but didn't question. Sesshoumaru reached inside and pulled out what appeared to be a staff with two heads on it. One was the face of a maiden while the other was the face of an old man. "What is that for, brother?" Inuyasha couldn't help but ask.

Sesshoumaru threw the staff to the little green demon and he caught it. "What is this?"

"I will entrust this to you if you are able to use it."

"You'll what?" Inuyasha asked. "He's gonna join us?" Inuyasha asked.

"If he proves his worth."

"Thank you! My name is Jaken." Sesshoumaru didn't seem to care. "I must know your name. Please tell me what it is. I must know!"

"Sesshoumaru."

Inuyasha was unhappy now. He didn't want to share his brother with anyone, especially not some little imp named Jaken. _'This is going to be horrible.'_

"Let's be off," Sesshoumaru instructed.

Once Jaken saw that Inuyasha walked by Sesshoumaru's side, Jaken found the courage to do the same. He was afraid to say anything to his new Lord, so he kept quiet. He only hoped that with time, he would be comfortable with Sesshoumaru. _'I shall serve you, my Lord!' _In a few hours, Jaken grew too curious and just had to ask. "Uh…my Lord…why is there a half demon accompanying you…"

Sesshoumaru glared.

"Uh…not that it's any of my business!"

"I am his younger half brother," Inuyasha told Jaken. "He's taken me in as his ward nearly for a century now."

"Oh, I see." _'Why would someone so great associate themselves with a half breed, even if it is his brother?' _

Inuyasha already knew that he wasn't going to like Jaken, but it seemed like he had no choice. _'I wonder how much will change…'_

**Fifty Years Later…**

"You certainly are a crude and ruthless half breed!" Jaken yelled.

"Get off my back, Jaken!" Inuyasha replied as rudely as possible as he slammed the face of a panther demon into a tree. "If I was my brother, the panther would be dead." He began to crush its head slowly. "Now prepare to die!"

"Wait a moment, Inuyasha!" came the voice of Ziah, as she jumped out of a tree and landed gracefully on her feet. "I don't care if you kill him, but this is a war and we're supposed to ask the enemy some questions."

"I'll never answer!" replied the demon.

"See?" Inuyasha asked her. "We might as well kill it."

"Or torture it until it tells us what we want to know." She sighed. "Honestly, for someone who grew up with the wise and powerful Sesshoumaru, you certainly are an idiot."

Jaken nodded, thinking that Inuyasha wouldn't see, but Inuyasha noticed and glared at him. "I apologize, Master Inuyasha."

"Yeah, whatever" he mumbled.

While they were distracted, the panther demon scratched Inuyasha's arm enough for Inuyasha to let it go and it began running for its life. "The poor thing thinks it can get away…" Ziah had a bloodthirsty smile creep on her face.

Inuyasha had to admit that he thought she was attractive, especially when she had that look in her eye. "I'll get him."

"No need" Ziah told him. "Just wait a moment."

The three of them waited for whatever was coming. Ziah knew and Inuyasha began to pick up on the scent. Jaken was slow though and didn't realize that Sesshoumaru was near, until half of the forest was decimated in a mere instant as his wind scar engulfed everything around it and then destroyed the panther demon. "That's my brother for you," Inuyasha replied. "He's always got to be the flashy type."

Ziah's heart fluttered. "Yeah, that's Sesshoumaru for you."

Sesshoumaru looked at what was left at the body and then ignored it. "There's no need to go after the grunts anymore," Sesshoumaru told them. "They're about to attack us head on."

"Bring on the war," Ziah said. "Or rather the slaughter."

"Don't we need more allies?" Jaken asked worriedly. "Should we request that more dog demons come from the west?"

"For what?" asked Inuyasha. "We are all needed, Jaken. Besides, my brother holds the Tetsusaiga, and…"

Since Sesshoumaru had raised Inuyasha, he just knew there was something he was hiding in his eyes. "Inuyasha…"

"I think I know a way to make myself into a full fledged demon."

"A full fledged demon?" Jaken asked. "That's impossible. You're nothing but a half breed. You can't possibly become a full fledged demon, even if you wanted to."

"He's right, little one." Ziah patted him on the head, in a way to bug him. She always treated Inuyasha like a child.

He forced her hand away. "Anyway, I heard of a jewel that can grant any wish. If I possess it, then I can perhaps make myself into a full blooded demon and can rid myself of the human blood in me."

Sesshoumaru's first reaction in his mind was that this was a good thing. Another thought came to him and he thought does Inuyasha have the right to just up and change what he is like this? That was a quick thought, for the second didn't make much sense and Sesshoumaru was much more interested in having a brother that didn't reek of human blood. Inuyasha always wanted to change and Sesshoumaru always wanted Inuyasha to get rid of his human actions. Now he could completely get rid of his human side. "Inuyasha, do as you please."

"It is said that a priestess has it in her possession. I'll retrieve it with ease."

"A priestess?" Ziah asked. "Just when I thought their numbers would decrease, they rise along with demon slayers. There's so many more training now, so that they can oppose you, Lord Sesshoumaru."

"It's a futile attempt," Sesshoumaru told them. "They can submit or be crushed."

"But so many humans have given up fighting my Lord and few have even considered serving you."

"What humans do don't concern me at the moment. There is only the task at hand, then the panther demons that are trying to rebel against my order." He sheathed his Tetsusaiga. "With this sword, I shall slay them all." He began to leave and Ziah and Jaken began to follow. Inuyasha decided to stay behind. "Like I said Inuyasha, do as you wish. I do expect you to return for the battle, though."

Inuyasha smirked. "Do you _need _me?"

Sesshoumaru stopped and turned to face his little brother. "Inuyasha, I said I expect you to be there, but I don't need you. I don't need any of you." He said nothing more to Inuyasha. Inuyasha now had his own goals and so did Sesshoumaru. Inuyasha was no longer the weak and helpless half breed. He was stronger, wiser, and faster than what he should have been. Regrettably though, he was still a half breed. If Inuyasha could come back a full fledged demon, Sesshoumaru would be…pleased with his appearance.

"So," Ziah asked when they were away from Inuyasha, "where are they stationed at?"

"There are whispers Ziah and they do not intend on staying hidden forever. They'll attack."

"What's different now, my Lord?"

"They believe they have enough power to defeat me." There was a bit of humor in his voice. Sesshoumaru had grown even more arrogant, but he had all the reason in the world to be. He was so powerful, more powerful than any other demon…

Expect for his father…

Despite all of his efforts, Sesshoumaru had not been able to match his father's strength. Sesshoumaru hadn't transformed in a long time, but he knew that his father could crush him without even trying. Sesshoumaru hadn't reached his prime yet, so it was understandable that he was weaker than his father, who had reached his prime, but that was not acceptable to Sesshoumaru. Sesshoumaru was not a weakling and should not be treated as one, but he hated that he didn't possess the same power as his father, even though he possessed his father's fang.

"Continue your surveillance of the area, Ziah. I am heading on."

She was disappointed, but she would be crazy to disobey Sesshoumaru. "Yes my Lord."

Sesshoumaru also had a strange feeling concerning Inuyasha. "And keep an eye on Inuyasha from time to time. Don't let him now that you are watching."

'_So big brother wants to keep an eye on little brother? Can't let him quite grow up yet? How absolutely adorable!'_ "Yes my Lord."

So she separated and it was only Jaken and Sesshoumaru left, which is what Sesshoumaru wanted. Well, he didn't necessary want Jaken there, but Jaken was easy to ignore and if he were to talk, Sesshoumaru could command him and he would stay silent, unlike Inuyasha on occasion. Also, Jaken was a way to relive stress from time to time. He was an easy target and a pleasurable one at that.

There was trouble up ahead. It was no threat to Sesshoumaru, but he knew who it was waiting for him. He was quite pleased to know. He could smell her scent and wanted to settle things once and for all. It was the beginning of the end for the panther tribe demons and any other demon who opposed him. Sesshoumaru had killed countless of demons already, but there were certain powerful tribes, like the thunder demons, the wolf demons, of course the dog demons, bat demons, panther demons, and so on. Soon the first great massacre of a strong demon tribe would begin. With the fall of the panther tribe, others were soon to fall.

To be continued…


	6. Chapter 6: Kikyou

Chapter 6

I do not own Inuyasha

Sesshoumaru could smell her scent. It wasn't something he enjoyed to smell, but he could smell it, nonetheless. She was waiting, just like he had expected. It didn't take long to spot her. She was so different from all of the other cat demons. Her hair was an icy blue, her eyes were like a cold morning's sky, and her skin was pale like the snow. "Touran."

"Sesshoumaru, it's been a long time." She had a wicked smile on her face. She was planning something clever for Sesshoumaru and whatever it was; it was giving her enough confidence to fight. "I've always been curious to fight you, seeing that it was your father that killed our Master," she said it with a bit of disgust, but she was still rather calm.

"Are you too afraid to fight me now Touran? I didn't think you'd come forth without your siblings."

"The time will soon come Sesshoumaru. I invite you to try and stop me. Soon our Master will rise and lead us to victory."

"As I said before, you are too afraid to face me and my power now. It is to be expected. Now you make up stories regarding your Master, who we both know was destroyed in The Great War that my father won, many years ago."

"He is to be resurrected and then we'll have our revenge over you cursed dog demons. There is no way you will be able to defeat us once our Master is resurrected." She smirked. "I look forward to fighting you Sesshoumaru and helping you meet your end."

It was that time that she decided to leave. She began to run off, not because she was scared, but rather because she had other matters to attend to. She knew that Sesshoumaru wasn't going to kill her at that moment. Eventually, she and all her siblings would be together and the continuation of the Great War would begin. Sesshoumaru wasn't going to let her resurrect her Master, but how would she do it was a rather interesting question. _'What power does she hope to have in order to do such a thing?'_

* * *

"There it is," Inuyasha smirked as he looked down from the highest tree in the forest. He could see the village that was said to possess the Sacred Shikon Jewel so clearly. "This should be a simple task. I'll be a full fledged demon by the end of the day." Inuyasha made the bold move of assuming that no one would be a challenge for him and he simply jumped down and made a run for the village. "At last, my goal of becoming a full fledged demon will be a reality." Just as he was about to enter into the village, he could feel a hot fire come upon him. It barely grazed him, but he could feel it and for a moment, he was briefly afraid. His body was unable to move for a second and soon he was pinned to a tree, before he truly got the chance to realize what was happening. "What?" He looked and realized that only his clothes were shot by the sacred arrows that bound him to a tree, but instead of taking them down, he was a bit shocked, but still amused. He waited for whoever shot it to appear. "Come out, I know you're there!"

She emerged from the shadows and stepped forward to see her new victim. She had sensed that he was not like all of the other demons that she had simply killed. He was different. She could sense that he was a half demon. "You shouldn't have come to this village demon. Do not return, or else I shall have to waste more arrows on you."

Inuyasha gave her the opportunity to finish him off, but he wouldn't slip again. He could already hear what his brother would say. _"You fool, how could you let yourself be beaten by a pathetic mortal?"_ That was not something Inuyasha was looking forward to hearing, so he would make sure something like that would never happen. He managed to break free from the grasp of her sacred arrows and went in for the kill. "You should have finished me off!"

This priestess was no fool and was not slow either, so she backed away a bit while drawing another arrow. She shot at him quickly, but he drifted off to the side to dodge it. His attempts were successful and he jumped forward to strike her, but hesitated to do so when he got so close that her scent forced his nostrils to take in her fragrance and be embraced by it. He didn't strike, but he was so close that she lost her balance and fell. She was defeated at that moment. She wasn't in a position of where she could easily shoot at him, and he was so close that he could flick his wrists, and she'd be gone.

"You lose..."

"I see..." She managed to smile. She was not able to win; yet she was not afraid. "You are a half demon, are you not?"

"And what of it?"

She closed her eyes. "I could sense it. I knew that you were not like all other demons. I didn't even need to see you to know. I felt you and I knew that you were coming for the jewel, perhaps in an attempt to become a full demon." She opened her eyes. "I know of you. You're very famous. You're Inuyasha, brother to Sesshoumaru."

"That's Lord Sesshoumaru to you, you defiled human!" He calmed down. "Is this the beginning of a sad attempt to beg for your life? I don't spare humans, especially someone so hypocritical like a priestess!"

"A hypocrite?" she questioned.

Inuyasha should have just killed her right then and there, but the thought of the stench of her blood mixing with her natural fragrance was not something Inuyasha's nose wanted to accept at that moment. The thought was not tempting at all. He never really did like seeing a dead woman. It brought back too many memories and he was trying to avoid certain ones.

In an attempt to delay the woman's death, he explained his theory. "You protect men and slay demons, but it is men who are the real monsters. They create unjust reasons to do their wrong, yet call it justice and see no harm. Before you look in darkness in the lives of demons, look in your own hearts."

She looked sad, looking back at Inuyasha. "This is true. All men are able to be good or bad. My duty is to help those in need and protect the Sacred Shikon Jewel. Whatever sins have been obviously committed against you, I cannot answer for them. I refuse to justify the acts of all man; it's not my place. Besides, I am a woman, or I at least hope to be."

_'Hope to be?'_ He told himself that he didn't want to know what she meant, although he was a bit curious. "I'll take the jewel some other time woman. You've amused me, so I'll spare your life, but know that tomorrow isn't promised to you." Inuyasha then left, fleeing as fast as he could. He couldn't stand to be around that woman any longer.

"Tomorrow isn't promised to anyone, Inuyasha."

* * *

The next day and the following week, Inuyasha tried the same thing, but it ended the exact same way. The priestess would somehow manage to take the upper hand at first, but would hesitate to finish him off. Inuyasha would then take advantage of her weakness, but wouldn't kill her. He was too afraid that it would remind him of his mother, so he never killed her and his intention to kill her soon faded away. He still wanted the jewel, though.

One day when Inuyasha was watching from his usual position, he unfortunately smelled a familiar scent. "Why don't you just kill her?" Ziah asked, jumping onto the branch next to Inuyasha. "Well, why don't you?"

"This is none of your concern," he told her. "Just back off."

"This could have been over by now. Look at how pathetic that woman is. You could break her in two within a mere moment."

"A mere moment?" he questioned. "Kikyou's spiritual powers are unlike anyone's I've ever seen before. She's not completely helpless."

"Maybe to a little half demon like you, she can put up a fight." Inuyasha tried to ignore her and Ziah realized that. _'What is this fool doing? Has he been just watching her for the past week without attacking? Has he failed? If so, then he'd be dead. He's showing mercy, when I know good and well that he's never shown mercy to anyone else. What is so special about this woman?' _She saw how closely Inuyasha was watching her. He was so deeply entranced by her every step, every gesture, and every breath. _'He can't be…'_ "Inuyasha-"

"Why are you here?" he asked angrily and annoyed. He would snap her neck if he thought he could get away with it.

"Why are you so angry? Your big brother wanted me to keep an eye on you from time to time to make sure you don't die or anything." She saw that Kikyou stumbled a bit while she was walking with some children from the village and she saw Inuyasha's reaction, like he wanted to just jump down and save her from the smallest of things. "You know, he probably wanted me to make sure you didn't do something dumb like fall in love with a mortal, either."

"What?" Inuyasha started laughing a bit. "Are you kidding me?"

"Then let's take the jewel, right now. I dare you to."

"I will! That's what I intend on doing!" He was about to get up, but he honestly didn't want to. He wanted to just watch her, and he wasn't sure why. He understood why he wanted to spare her, but he didn't' know why he wanted to stay by her side. _'Kikyou...'_ "I smell something."

"Are you lying?" she asked. "I figured you didn't want me to know that you loved her, but I didn't think you'd come up with lies, Inuyasha."

"Just sniff the air."

She did think he was lying, but once she got a goof whiff of the air, she knew what it was. "You're right, Inuyasha. The cat demons are near. I want to know why, though."

"Isn't it obvious that they're after the jewel?" he asked. "That's why I haven't gone after Kikyou. I knew they'd be along sooner or later."

Ziah could only laugh at his attempts. "What a clever little lie. Well played, Inuyasha."

"What do you mean?"

"I mean, I know that you really do care for that mortal, but as long as you keep up that little lie of yours, there's nothing more I can do, because I can't actually prove anything and I don't give Sesshoumaru information if there's even a chance that it's wrong. He'd be disturbed if I told him about you and this mortal, but if you convinced him that you didn't care for her, then it would be on my head."

"Then please tell him. Perhaps he'll kill you."

"Once upon a time, little Inuyasha used to like me."

"And once upon a time was quite some time ago. No one likes you," a smirk slithered on to his face, "especially my brother."

She narrowed her eyes in on Inuyasha. "You know nothing of your brother and I."

"I know that you two have known each other longer than I've been born and if he hasn't done anything with you yet, he's not going to. He had a code that he doesn't plan to let any women get in the way of his ambitions, and you'd be one of them."

"And when he's ruled this world, then I'll-"

"Then nothing will happen." He jumped off of the branch and landed in front of Kikyou and the children. The children became afraid and all ran behind Kikyou, knowing that she could protect them. "Kikyou…"

"So nice of you to join us, Inuyasha. I knew that you were watching."

"You knew…?" He blushed from embarrassment.

"Everyday, you've been there. Is it time to attack already?"

Inuyasha remembered that Ziah was watching and decided not to speak with her any longer. He had to get to the village. "There are cat demons about to go after the jewel." He didn't waste another moment speaking to her and he hurried off to the village.

"Go home," she instructed the children. "I have a pressing matter concerning the Sacred Jewel to attend to."

Ziah watched Kikyou and wondered what she should do. _'If they're after the Sacred Shikon Jewel, then I know that Lord Sesshoumaru will want to know about it. I should go find him.' _

"They're already here" Inuyasha said as he saw the panther demons attacking the villagers. A group of them were going after one little girl though, one Inuyasha knew to be Kikyou's little sister. "She has the Sacred Jewel in her hands!" Inuyasha couldn't let the panther demons get to the jewel, so he attacked them. "Iron Reaver, Soul Stealer!"

Kaede looked up and saw that the panther demons were dead and Inuyasha, the demon that her sister had been battling, had saved her. "T-thank you."

"I'm after the jewel and I don't want them to get it," he told her. "You're not strong enough to handle it! The panther demons will go after you and you'll be killed."

"I can protect myself." She had a bow and some arrows, but Inuyasha could sense that she didn't have as much spiritual powers as her sister and he doubted that she could shoot that well either.

"Then I'll stay by you, because I'm not letting those filthy cats get the jewel!"

Kaede was surprised how Inuyasha just started protecting her. He claimed to be just protecting the jewel, but if that was true, then he could have taken it from Kaede and made a run for it. He must have wanted to protect her. "I cannot let the demons get the jewel!"

"I'm not letting that happen either!" he told her. "I'm going to become a full fledged demon, and nothing is going to stand in my way!" All of the panther demons that came against Inuyasha were losing. Inuyasha's skill was superior, thanks to the teaching of his brother. "Just leave!" he told the cat demons. "Surrender or die!"

"That's not an option!" said a familiar voice.

Inuyasha looked above him and standing on the temple roof was Karan, younger sister to Touran. She was unlike her sister, because she could control fire. She wasn't as skilled as Touran, but she didn't need to be in order to defeat Inuyasha. "We'll have the jewel, Inuyasha, and there's nothing you can do to stop us. We will resurrect our Master and not even your brother's fang will be able to stop us!"

"So that's what this is about? You're too afraid to fight him when he has possession of his sword. He's too powerful."

"Today, you die Inuyasha!" She began shooting fireballs at Inuyasha, and Inuyasha had to hurry and get Kaede away from it.

He saved her once again and got her out of the way. "Kaede" he took off the top half of his kimono and placed it over her. "This will protect you. It's made form the cloth of the fire rat." Inuyasha ran Karan and tried to claw her, but she was quick and escaped his wrath. "You're not strong enough to defeat me!" he told her.

"Don't make me laugh. You're only a half demon. There's no way you'll be able to defeat me! You're only strong when your brother's around. When you're alone, you're nothing."

"Oh really?" he asked. "Then defeat me. I dare you to."

"You know you can't beat me, that's why you've chosen to get the jewel in order to become a full demon, so you can be stronger."

"Some of that is true, but I don't need to be a full demon to defeat you. I know that I'm stronger than you."

"And he's not alone." Kikyou finally arrived at the village with her bow and arrow in her hands and ready to fire. "I'm warning you, that I've never missed."

"I can handle this Kikyou. This is my brother's war."

"And this is my village. If I wouldn't have been waiting for you, they wouldn't have gained the upper hand and began to attack. I was occupied with you when I shouldn't have been, so this is my fault. I'll be the one to correct it."

"Then you and the priestess can die together!" Karan wasted no more time talking and threw a fireball right at Kikyou, one very large, and before Kikyou fired her arrow-which she could have done-Inuyasha grabbed her and jumped out of the way.

Kikyou was very surprised once she realized that Inuyasha had saved her life. He must not have known that she could have protected herself, but still… "Inuyasha?"

When his eyes met hers, he knew that he had made a mistake, because now, his heart was beating rapidly. "Kikyou…"

"Retreat!" yelled Karan, and Inuyasha wasn't sure why.

"Why would she just leave like that?" Inuyasha was so occupied with Kikyou and the village that he didn't even pick up his scent.

"Inuyasha…"

Inuyasha let go of Kikyou and turned around. "Sesshoumaru."

**To be continued… **


	7. Chapter 7: The Choices Made

Chapter 7

I don't own Inuyasha

"S...Sesshoumaru?"

There was no doubt about it. Inuyasha was protecting and holding onto a mortal, only a second ago. _'Inuyasha...?'_ Sesshoumaru took a step closer and with that step, he became angry, more angry than befuddled. Inuyasha had been alone with this mortal for a little over a week. Sesshoumaru told himself not to think of his little brother, since he could take care of himself. Sesshoumaru didn't even really realize that he had been missing a week for only doing a simple job. He followed a panther demon scent and it just happened to lead him to his little brother. Sesshoumaru actually hurried, thinking his little brother might have been ambushed, although he would never admit that part aloud. He now felt betrayed, seeing him with that woman, that mortal woman.

With another step, he calmed down within a mere second, with as much effort as the step itself. With another step, his mind was completely cleared. Yes he was still angry, but he would control his actions. Sesshoumaru was a demon, but he never was a savaged beast. He did nothing without reason. "Well Inuyasha, are you going to explain yourself?"

Inuyasha stepped away from Kikyou, not giving her a second look or else he would have been truly caught. "There's nothing to explain!"

Sesshoumaru's patience was wearing thin. "Oh, and that woman by your side means nothing as well?" Inuyasha hesitated for a second, enough time for Sesshoumaru's suspicions to rise. "I trusted that you wouldn't make the same mistake of our father, Inuyasha, but you were always so unusual. The girl almost suits you." He was so disgusted. How could Inuyasha do this?

"This isn't what it looks like! I knew the panther tribe would attack her! In order to defeat you, they need the jewel."

"If that's the case, then perhaps you should have taken it yourself Inuyasha. It would have been better protected."

Ziah glanced over to Sesshoumaru with a pleased smile on her face, but once she saw how angry and disappointed he was, she regretted that she angered him so. _'Sesshoumaru isn't buying into Inuyasha's lies. It's all over for him.'_ Her smile faded_. 'I can only imagine how terribly disappointed Lord Sesshoumaru must be.' _

"Sesshoumaru," Inuyasha said almost desperately, "if I would have had the jewel, they would have only suspected that I'd give it to you. If that was the case, they'd flee and try to find some other means of destroying you."

"An interesting fib, little brother. I almost believed that one."

"But it's not a fib! Why else would I protect this mortal? Why else would I protect any mortal, especially after what they did to me and my mother?"

It was the first time in many years since Inuyasha referred to his mother. Sesshoumaru was not pleased that Inuyasha mentioned her, but he did have a point. "I don't entirely believe you, Inuyasha. But whatever the case, I have a war to win. I can still smell Karan and I am going after her right at this moment. Choose your place, Inuyasha."

Inuyasha's heart stopped as his brother jumped in the air. He thought it would be all over for him, but his brother's body turned into a white ball of light and he left in pursuit of the panther demons. Inuyasha decided to rest easy. "Get lost!" Inuyasha told Ziah, who was still left observing him.

"Poor Inuyasha thinks he's fooled his brother." She sighed. "You don't understand how he felt once his father fell in love with a mortal. To him, it was a rather large disappointment, but even greater once your father perished. It caused a great hatred within our tribe, Inuyasha, a great hatred for humans. That is why Lord Sesshoumaru will never care for their meaningless existence and that is why he could never forgive you if you did such a thing. It would be betrayal." She left right after that and Inuyasha was alone with the villagers.

"Thank goodness," said Kaede. "The demons are gone."

"Inuyasha..." Kikyou began to say, "thank you for-"

"Don't," he told her. "You don't know anything of my world, so don't pretend that you do, woman." Inuyasha left as well, not wanting to be drawn closer to her. Still, after that day, he couldn't just leave her regardless of his loyalties to his brother. He watched her from afar the day after and a few after that, but Kikyou wouldn't have it last forever.

"Inuyasha, come join me," she told him one day while the two of them were in the forest. He didn't want to be caught, but he did want to join her.

_'Sesshoumaru isn't in the area. I haven't smelt his scent in days. I suppose I should be fine.'_ Inuyasha jumped down from his tree and sat next to her, but glared suspiciously. "What do you want?"

"You said I didn't understand your world. I was wondering if you'd help me understand it, Inuyasha."

"What?" he asked. "I don't understand what you're yapping about!"

"What did they do..." she asked quietly "what did they do to you and your mother?"

"Like I'm gonna tell you!" The way she looked at him, made him want to say. He opened his mouth, but closed it.

"I wouldn't tell anyone else, Inuyasha. It would simply be between the two of us."

_'Maybe she should know...maybe she should know how horrible they are!'_ "They tried to kill me, but she protected me and they slaughtered her right in front of me because they were afraid of my power!"

Inuyasha was expecting something from her. He wasn't expecting her to feel sorry for him, because he didn't want her pity. He was expecting her to realize that her life was a lie and the humans were so horrible. Instead, she surprised him. "Your mother must have been a very brave woman."

"What..." He couldn't believe it. He couldn't understand why she looked at that instead of how horrible the humans were.

"People can be good or bad. Those who killed your mother were tainted with their intentions and did something truly evil. Your mother however, was pure and protected her child, the thing that she loved."

Inuyasha was at a loss of words. "So what are you saying?"

"People are much like the Sacred Shikon Jewel. It can be tainted and it can be pure. If someone with a dark heart possesses it, it will become tainted, so it was given to me, in order to keep it pure. Since it is my duty to maintain the jewel, I cannot have a normal life and cannot live like an ordinary woman. I am an outsider and that is why I could not kill you Inuyasha. I saw that we are both different."

"Is that what you wanted?" He asked her. "You just wanted to complain to me?" Inuyasha stood to his feet. "We've all got our cross to bear, so quit complaining!"

Just as he was leaving, he heard her voice. "You're right, I shouldn't complain."

Once Inuyasha turned to see her sad expression, he felt guilty. "Kikyou..." He had never felt such mixed emotions before and now, he couldn't get her out of his mind. "I've...got a war to fight." Fighting would help. He would be able to forget about her.

"Inuyasha, you wish to be different. You do not want to be a half demon, because you are not accepted, because of your human blood. You want to fit in." Inuyasha couldn't leave once she spoke those words. They were so true. "I know, because I wish to be an ordinary woman. If only I didn't have the jewel..." She had it hidden under her clothes. "This jewel...if it made you a full demon, then it would be tainted, but if it made you into a human-"

"A human?" Inuyasha almost wanted to laugh. "Why would I want to be a weak human?"

She tucked it back inside her clothing. "Then the powers of the jewel would be nullified and it wouldn't exist anymore. I could be an ordinary woman and live freely." The idea of it honestly didn't appeal to Inuyasha, so she let it go. "I should return to the village."

_'Kikyou...'_ Inuyasha jumped up into the trees and fled from her, before he got himself into an even bigger mess.

Unfortunately for Inuyasha, he discovered that he wasn't very bright. The next day, he went spying on her again. This time, it was a good thing that he did. She was merely walking, minding her own business and then he heard and smelt another human in the area. He jumped onto a cliff and saw a human, a bandit, who had just shot an arrow at Kikyou. Inuyasha luckily caught it. "How dare you try to hurt Kikyou!" Inuyasha slashed him with his claws and it was over. He didn't even have time to scream. "Like he could ever kill Kikyou..." Inuyasha jumped down, but Kikyou realized that he was there and saw the blood on his hand.

"Inuyasha..." She was disappointed with him and she walked away.

"Kikyou..." He jumped in front of her, in order to stop her escape. "What's your problem? I just saved your life!" He wiped his hand against the grass, trying to get the blood off his hand, which he did. There wasn't much.

"Inuyasha, that man-"

"What? Do you think he deserved mercy? He tried to kill you, Kikyou, and I just saved you! Some people deserve mercy and some deserved to be killed. To think otherwise is stupid!"

"Everyone deserves mercy, Inuyasha, at least a second chance."

"I'm a demon, and to me, there is nothing but kill, or be killed world. There's no time for foolish things like mercy!"

"And what of love?" she asked, just above a whisper. "Do you demons know how to love?"

"I suppose...some of us do, but my brother taught me that there's nothing more important than my own ambition."

"Becoming a demon? What will become of you then?"

"Well I..." What would become of Inuyasha? He hadn't given that much thought. "Kikyou...I..."

She placed the jewel in his hands. "If I were to give you this jewel and if you became a full demon, what would you do with it? Would you be happy Inuyasha? The jewel would still be in my hands and I'd still be unordinary. You'd be a full demon, strong and powerful. I'm sure your brother would be proud. We could go our separate ways, but would you be happy? I wouldn't be happy without you, Inuyasha. I wouldn't."

"Kikyou..."

"I don't mind you this way, Inuyasha. I just...I just wouldn't be able to be with you. I'd have to protect the jewel. Just know that I love you for who you are, Inuyasha. My heart belongs to you and you alone." She stepped closer to him "Take it, Inuyasha, and come to me when you've reached your decision.

Inuyasha couldn't hold it in any longer and he kissed her lips and held her tightly. He had never kissed a woman in that way before, but he hadn't realized how desperately he wanted to kiss her until that moment. She was so warm and he had never felt so alive until then. He hadn't felt such kindness in a woman's embrace since his mother last hugged him. He had forgotten that human's could be kind. "Kikyou, I can't live as a human. I can't betray my brother!"

"I'm not asking you to, Inuyasha. Just please, go and return to me and tell me how you wish to be, and when you've reached that decision, we'll face it, together."

He nodded and left her, with the jewel that he had wanted for so long within his possession, but he did not know what to do with it. He needed some time to think. "Should I return to my brother?" he asked himself aloud. "I can't think around here! I'm leaving!" Inuyasha did just that. He had every intention of returning, but staying near Kikyou would only lead him to a conclusion that would put him against his brother, and that was foolish. No one had the strength to match Sesshoumaru. Besides, Inuyasha owed his brother everything. _'The battle!'_

He suddenly remembered about the panther demons. Sesshoumaru was expecting that Inuyasha would fight against the panther demons, beside him. Sesshoumaru didn't need anyone, but Inuyasha was still expected to fight. _'If I stay away any longer, then he'll know about me and Kikyou with no doubts at all!'_ Inuyasha fled as fast as he could, trying to find his brother. Instead, he found Ziah.

"Little Inuyasha…" Ziah had actually spotted him before he spotted her. She spotted him from a hill top and once she saw him, she jumped down below to converse. "Are you ready, Inuyasha? Have you given up on that woman yet?"

"What do you care? You know that I don't care about her, yet you keep trying to get me involved with her. What's your problem?"

"I'm only looking out for you, Inuyasha. If your brother found out-"

"If he found out what? Even if I did love her, it wouldn't matter to you! You're just pissed off that Sesshoumaru doesn't have any intention on being with you!"

Her eyes grew fiery and she glared so evilly. "Inuyasha, you don't know anything about me or your brother!"

"I know compared to what he wants, which is conquering everything, you're nothing, not even a thought in the back of his mind. Even when he can hold the world in his hand, you'll still be nothing, and he'll never want you. That's why you pick with me. If you can't have his affection, then no one can, not even his younger brother."

She lost it there. She punched Inuyasha in the face and knocked him down, full of rage. She knew not to kill Inuyasha though. Sesshoumaru was protective of his brother. "Inuyasha, you are right about Sesshoumaru and his ambitions. He'll do whatever he can, including destroying everything in his way. That includes any priestess, especially someone as powerful as your little girl friend. She'll be the first to go, after we destroy the panther demons." To see the look of panic in Inuyasha's eyes was enough to make her smirk. She had won their little squabble, so she let the boy be.

Once again, Inuyasha was alone with the jewel tucked under his clothes. He was thankful that she didn't smell the jewel, but other demons would start to come for it. It would be best to use it before he lost it. What to do with the jewel was the question. _'I still need some time to think...'_

Two days he roamed along the country side, killing countless of demons and trying to avoid his brother. He needed to protect the jewel, but the more he protected it, the more he thought of Kikyou and how she sadly had to live protecting it. If he was a human, she wouldn't have to live with that anymore. As Inuyasha passed human villages he watched them and saw how they acted and how they lived. Some of them looked happy and they managed fine without demonic power. _'I know what it's like to be human. My brother taught me how to manage, but...could I actually...live with Kikyou as a human?'_ He still hated them, and that much would never change, but still..._'The both of us...we could be free. I wouldn't be persecuted and she wouldn't have to protect the jewel. We could be ordinary and I'd still do anything in my power to protect her, even without my demon power.' _

Though it did not please him, he knew what he had to do. "I'm going to become a human and live with Kikyou." He rushed to find her. He went back to the village as fast as he could with his beloved in his heart. "Kikyou!" On his way though, he picked up the scent of smoke and blood. It wasn't soon until he saw the smoke rising from the village. "Kikyou?"

He ran until his legs burned, but it didn't matter. His heart was racing, and he had to do all that he could in order to make sure that she was alright. He'd do anything for her, anything! "Kikyou! Kikyou! Kikyou!" When he entered the village, he saw bodies of men laid all about. The women were cut, crying, and broken spirited. The children tried to comfort their mothers, but they had suffered too greatly. Still, he did not see her. "Kikyou!"

"Inuyasha!" Kaede cried from right outside her home. Inuyasha ran to her with a panic on his face. "Where is Kikyou?"

Kaede busted into tears and fell on the ground. She did her best to cover her face so Inuyasha wouldn't see her pain. "Don't go in there, Inuyasha!"

Of course Inuyasha didn't listen. His woman was in there. He walked past Kaede and entered, but once he did, his heart fainted and wept, but his mind could not at first grasp on to what happened. Though his spirit wept, his eyes could not. He didn't understand why her body was lying there with only a blanket covering her pale and fragile body. It was cut and bruised and her face was stained with tears. "Ki...Kikyou..."

Inuyasha dropped to his knees and held her in his arms. "Kikyou..." He held her close and kissed her head and cursed himself. "Why wasn't I there? Why wasn't I there for you, Kikyou? I should have...I should have been here to protect you." Demons would slaughter the village, but the women, including Kikyou, were raped as well. Bandits must have passed by.

Kaede entered, still crying.

"Who did this?" Inuyasha's voice shook with such a rage. He was going to rip those bandits apart.

"It was a man named Onigumo. He led the assault. They wanted the jewel and he wanted my sister." She started crying again. "He ravaged her and then he had what he wanted, since the jewel was gone. He killed her. He killed her..."

Inuyasha gently placed her body on the ground and brushed the hair off her face so he could clearly see the face of his beloved maiden, the woman he should have protected. "Once I'm done with the jewel, burn it with her body so no one may have it." He kissed her cold lips a final time and let her body be. He had someone to kill.

_'Humans...she lived her life helping them and they do this to her!'_ They didn't deserve to live. None of them did.

* * *

"The jewel," the bandit Onigumo said while around a camp fire with his men, "it was not in the village, so the half breed Inuyasha must have it."

"The same half demon that killed Rasetsu? We'll get him and the jewel next time, boss!" The rest of the bandits laughed and began to drink rice wine whole heartedly. They didn't care what they had done.

Onigumo especially didn't care. He told himself that Kikyou was beautiful and for a moment, he swore that he loved her, but once he had her, once he had a chance to embrace her fully like he had longed to, it was like ash in his hands. Once he had ravaged her body like he desired, it meant nothing anymore. She was nothing, so he killed her. She was just another woman. "I'll have the jewel soon though."

"You want the jewel?" asked Inuyasha's voice from a distance. "Then you can have it in Hell, because that's where I'm sending it, right after I destroy all of you!"

The bandits were afraid of Inuyasha, hearing how menacing his voice was. All of them were afraid except for Onigumo. "You're just a half demon!"

"And you're nothing but a disgusting human!" His voice was just as evil as the dark night itself. It was enough to send one chill down Onigumo's back.

"Are you here to take revenge for Kikyou?" Onigumo smirked. "I ravaged her myself Inuyasha. It must hurt, seeing that the two of you were lovers and with all that demonic power, you still weren't able to protect her!" He began laughing, but before he could blink again, Inuyasha appeared and slashed him in half with only a thrust of his hand.

"I don't see what's so funny." When Inuyasha looked at the rest of the bandits, they all screamed once they saw his eyes glow red. They were horrified and began screaming and begging for their miserable lives to be spared, but Inuyasha had no mercy. He killed every single last one of them and when it was all over, he still wished that he could kill them all once more, except for Onigumo. He wished he could kill him a thousand times over. Once would never be enough.

"I'm sorry, Kikyou. Avenging your death was all that I could do..." Inuyasha swore to never love another woman again. He didn't have time to waste protecting someone. Besides, Kikyou lived in his heart and would pain it for quite some time. "Kikyou..."

* * *

"Today's their last stand," Sesshoumaru told Ziah as the two of them stood side by side, waiting for the battle with the Panther demons to reach its climax. "This is where the story ends."

"You're very right, my Lord. This will be another glorious victory for..." Ziah caught a whiff of demon blood, dog demon blood, but she could have sworn that it was Inuyasha's. "That can't be who I think it is..."

"It couldn't be," Jaken told Ziah. "Inuyasha is only a half demon. This is the scent of a full demon's blood. It smells like Lord Sesshoumaru's more than Inuyasha's."

"And yet," Sesshoumaru interrupted, "it is." He turned along with Ziah and Jaken to see Inuyasha, but he was not as he remembered. His doggy ears were gone, replaced with ears that resembled Sesshoumaru's. He looked so much like Sesshoumaru now. He had the markings of a full dog demon on his face. The only thing different from Sesshoumaru was the crescent moon and the fact that Inuyasha's face was still a little rounder.

"Are you going to stand there with that stupid look on your face or are you going to say something?"

"Inuyasha..." Ziah was speechless. "You're..."

"Just like you guys," he stated. "I'm a real demon now." Sesshoumaru didn't say anything, but Inuyasha kept on talking. "I told you when I was little that if it was possible, I'd find a way."

"And you have, little brother." Sesshoumaru's expression actually lightened up. He actually smiled, a small smile, but it was a smile and it freaked Jaken, Ziah, and even Inuyasha out. "Well done, little brother. You've actually done something right. It only took you 150 years."

"I've never seen you happy before my Lord." Jaken was really freaked out!

Sesshoumaru's small smile was short lived though. "I don't have to deal with the disgusting human stench anymore."

"Believe me," Inuyasha said to his brother, in all seriousness "no one is happier to get rid of that foul human stench than me. They're truly pathetic creatures and I'm glad to say I'm not longer one of them." _'Only two were ever worth anything and they were killed by their own kind and by their own intention.'_ Inuyasha actually wasn't sad, thinking about the two of them. His life was certainly going to be different. He would only live for his own ambitions. "Let's finish this."

**To be continued...**


	8. Chapter 8: Panther Demons End

**Chapter 8 **

**I do not own Inuyasha **

"When did these dogs get so strong?" Karan threw a fire ball straight at Inuyasha, but he simply held up his sleeve and protected himself from her attacks. "Curse you!"

Inuyasha, the now full blooded demon Inuyasha, only began to laugh at her response. "You idiot. It doesn't matter how much you try to use your fire against me. I have the cloth of the fire rat. As long as I have it, I cannot be burned. It was a gift from my father."

"Even so, you've still gotten more powerful. Before, you were just a miserable half demon. Now your blood is just like your brother's."

"Yes, it is. I'm not a half demon anymore, which is unfortunate for you." Inuyasha had never felt so confident before. He knew now that nothing could stand in his way. Absolutely nothing could. "It's time to end this."

While Inuyasha was fighting Karan, Sesshoumaru was fighting the eldest of them all, Touran. Though their battle was fierce, she was concerned about Inuyasha's battle as well. She wasn't too far away from her sister and it looked as though she'd have to help her out. "How did Inuyasha get rid of his human blood?"

"You had best worry about our battle or I can guarantee, it will be your last."

She grunted with disgust. "You dog! The only thing powerful enough to do that is the Shikon Jewel. Did he use that in order to become a full demon or did he find another way?"

Sesshoumaru placed his hand on his sheathed sword. "He did use the jewel and now it is gone. It left this world with its keeper."

"It what?" She said with such a rage. She couldn't believe what he had just said. "But we needed the jewel in order to resurrect our Master!"

"Excuse me for not sharing sympathy, but I do rather despise you all. I wasn't going to let you resurrect your Master. It was futile to try."

"Are you afraid of him? Were you afraid to challenge his power?"

"On the contrary: I simply didn't see the point in wasting all of that time. You can't defeat me. My power is greater than yours and having your Master wouldn't have changed the destiny of your inevitable demise. You and your siblings will perish and nothing is going to change that fact. It would be best to beg for your life now, though I wouldn't spare your life. I am still going to kill you."

She grunted. "You're so arrogant Sesshoumaru. Even though you wield your father's sword, doesn't mean you obtain his power. You're still not his equal, and though you may think you're all powerful, you're far from it, Sesshoumaru."

Sesshoumaru narrowed his eyes and glared at her. "Are you saying that I'm only defeating you panther demons because I possess my father's fang?"

"Of course."

Sesshoumaru knew what she was doing. It was obvious that she was trying to get him to fight without the sword. Sesshoumaru didn't usually like to do what people wanted him to do, but just so that there was no doubt, he would destroy her without the sword. "Alright, I shall defeat you without the aid of my father's fang."

"And why is that, Sesshoumaru? Have you realized that you've only being relying on your father's strength?"

"To defeat you, I don't need anything but my claws. If anyone needs the help of their father, it is you. You feel that I've grown too powerful and that is why you feel you needed to resurrect your Master. Unfortunately for you, your attempts to get the Shikon Jewel were foiled, and now you don't have the power to bring him back."

Touran was just so angry. She kept growling at Sesshoumaru and she looked at him with such hatred. She wasn't usually so angry when she fought Sesshoumaru, but she was always confident that those fighting each other would go smoothly and at least even. With Sesshoumaru growing so strong, she wasn't sure who the victor would be. "If you truly believe you'll win, then prove it." She calmed down though. If he promised to fight without his sword, he wouldn't win. He just couldn't. "Let's do this!"

Ziah was having a hard time though. She was taking on the only brother, Shuuran. Her nose was also damaged by the scent of flowers caused by Shunran earlier. She was feeling disorientated and felt like she was at a disadvantage. She wouldn't dare ask for help though. She wouldn't dare with Sesshoumaru fighting so hard. _'I can handle this on my own!'_ "Prepare to die, cat!" She ran at the Panther demon already tired, but before she could even strike, he struck her with lightening. "Ahhh!"

Sesshoumaru gave her a quick glance, but told himself to ignore it, because she could handle herself. Inuyasha saw her and wasn't so sure. She had fallen and her body was smoking. _'I always thought she was so powerful. She is, but not nearly as I anticipated.'_

She got up though and sprang back on her feet. "If you think you're going to kill me, you've got another thing coming." Ziah struck him with her light whip-something that she had perfected-and knocked him down. "You won't destroy me."

"You're wrong." Shunran came to her then. "You dog demons won't defeat us like all of your other foes." She began to surround herself with many flowers and while that happened, many illusions took form or her. There seemed to be at least twenty of her. "You can't win if you don't know who your enemy is."

"Is that so?" She created two light whips, one on each hand and it easily struck all of the Shurans, including the real one. "You're truly pa-ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!" Her victory over Shunran was short lived, for Shuuran got back up and caught her off guard. He struck her with a very powerful lightening bolt and she was unable to move.

"Too bad..."

Inuyasha saw what was going on with Shuuran, Shunran, and Ziah. Sesshoumaru saw it as well, but Inuyasha decided to move to the rescue before Sesshoumaru did. "Sorry Karan!" Inuyasha over powered her flames and punched her in the face. "You're not worth my time anymore." He made sure to save Ziah before Sesshoumaru budged an inch. He rushed over to Shuuran and clawed him in the back. While he yelled in agony, Inuyasha picked up Ziah and held her in his arms. "You're not as strong as I first thought," he teased.

Once he placed her back on her feet, she slapped him in the face. "You stupid boy! Don't get in my way! I could have handled it."

Inuyasha didn't get angry. He just smirked. "Don't be angry because I saved you. I'm a full demon now."

"That doesn't matter you fool! You'll always be a little half breed kid in my eyes! Whether or not you have full demon blood flowing through your veins means nothing to me. Just stay away and keep your distance!"

"Fine, next time I'll let you die." He was sort of smirking as he jumped out of the way and out of her sight. Inuyasha figured that it would take a while to get used to him being a full demon. She, Sesshoumaru, and Jaken were pleased with the results, but Ziah and Jaken didn't look at Inuyasha too differently. Sesshoumaru was surprisingly different about it though. Sesshoumaru was pleasantly pleased. Having a little brother wasn't what bothered Sesshoumaru, but it was the fact that Inuyasha's mother was human and that made Inuyasha half human. Now Inuyasha disregarded his mother and he was a full demon. It was as it should be, rather than that disgusting human as Inuyasha's mother, poisoning his blood.

"Touran," Sesshoumaru began to ask, "Do you remember what happened last time when we met?"

"How could I forget? You were still tagging along with your father. You were waiting for your chance to take over his land and be known as ruler of the world." She sighed. "And my Master was still alive and I and my siblings were much older than you. We all tried to defeat your father. We could have at least killed you, if your father wouldn't have ordered you to keep out of our business."

"And then he defeated your pathetic Master and you lost your war."

"That doesn't matter," Touran was upset, but she didn't let it show. She was too determined to give up. "We're going to release our Master. He will rise again!" She dropped her ice sword that she had been fighting with and placed her two hands together and extended them toward Sesshoumaru. "You're going to die right now. No more games."

"Fine then. I shall no longer toy with you cat, if death is what you truly desire." Sesshoumaru unsheathed his sword, held his Tetsusaiga forward.

"You said you wouldn't defeat me with your father's fang."

"I won't kill you now. You'll die by my claws like I said. Don't worry." He could smell the wind scraping before he could see it, but it came to him soon enough. _'The wind scar?'_ he questioned in his mind._ 'No, I've got something much better than that for her fate.'_ "Do your worst."

"Say hello to your dead father in Hell for me!" She gathered all the power she could at the moment and shot it through her arms and began to send ice beams right at Sesshoumaru. All of the fighters stopped doing just that and began to observe what would be the end of the war.

"Lord Sesshoumaru!" Jaken was horrified. Sesshoumaru didn't even seem to be making a move. _'What is he doing? He'll be frozen alive if he doesn't hurry it up and do the wind scar!' _

_'What are you up to brother?'_ Inuyasha knew him not to be a fool. He knew that his brother had something up his sleeve.

The siblings of Touran all had mixed feelings. They believed in their sister, but the saw Sesshoumaru's confidence. What kind of fool would smile at their own death? He couldn't have been dying. Something else was about to happen.

"This is the end!" Touran said in order to warn Sesshoumaru, so he could have some last thoughts.

However for her, this wasn't the end for Sesshoumaru. Just before her attack made contact, he slashed his Tetsusaiga forward, "Backlash wave!"

"What's this?" Suddenly, her attack was swallowed up into a giant twister and began twirling right at her. It kept spinning and spinning, freezing everything in its path, until it got to her. "Ahhhh-" Her screams came to a chilling halt once her lungs were frozen. Once the tornado of her own power hit her, she was frozen alive.

"How could this happen?" Karan knew that she could melt the ice before Sesshoumaru finished her sister off, so she had to hurry. "I'm coming Touran!" Before she could do anything, Inuyasha jumped in front of her. "Get out of my way."

"I wouldn't worry about your sister so much, since I'm about to kill you."

"Not on your life!"

Sesshoumaru sheathed his sword and decided to finish her off without it. "To the end of his war, Touran." Then he chopped the block of ice she was in half, including her body that was in it. Once the top half fell and the sisters of Touran began to scream, it was all over.

"I'll kill you for this!" Karan turned to finish off Inuyasha, but he grabbed her hand she was about to use to strike and before she could use the other; Inuyasha used his and rammed it straight through her stomach. "You think that'll stop me..." She began to gasp for air as she felt her insides slowly melting away. "But...how..."

"My poison claws." He simply smirked. "I was wondering when those would finally kick in."

"No...It can't end like..." Her body kept burning away until there was nothing left.

"How ironic?"

Inuyasha could smell more blood in the air, so he turned to see Ziah who had managed to kill the last remaining sister by lopping off her head. "Just because your sisters died, doesn't mean you should drop your guard."

"Totally ruthless," Inuyasha muttered.

"If you want to live in this world, that's how you have to be."

The last one reaming was the only boy, and he was filled with pure rage. "I'll destroy all of your for this!" With a yell of agony, lighting began to shoot out from his body. He couldn't help it. He was so angry. Jaken didn't dodge it and he fell to the ground quickly. Even Ziah and Inuyasha were his parlayed for a moment. However, Sesshoumaru was much faster, stronger, and craftier than all of them. He dodged one bolt with ease, the second was even easier, and by the third he was bored. "The last kin to the Great Panther demon dies right now." He used the Tetsusaiga and threw it fully transformed into his gut. The last panther demon fell to his knees, determined not to die quite yet, even though it was futile. Sesshoumaru calmly and slowly walked over to the only boy, and grabbed a hold of the Tetsusaiga, but instead of pulling it out, he pulled it up, splitting the top of him in half. When his body fell, it was all over.

"How unworthy you all were." They were annoying, but hardly a great challenge for Sesshoumaru, especially since he held the Tetsusaiga in his hands. "Inuyasha."

Inuyasha and Ziah got up from their brief defeat and joined Sesshoumaru. "So now that you've defeated the panther demons, what will you do now?" Inuyasha asked.

"I shall defeat all others who stand in my way. The order doesn't matter, just their fate."

So now the panther demons were gone. Their legacy, their heirs, it didn't matter. It was all cancelled by Sesshoumaru and his greedy ambitions. It wouldn't stop there though. There was still so much to gain and so many others to destroy and Sesshoumaru wouldn't stop until he had gained his ambition. He was going to be the ruler of all.

**To be continued... **


	9. Chapter 9: Shiori

Chapter 9

I do not own Inuyasha

"It's been nearly fifty years," mumbled Inuyasha as he looked out towards his target. "It's nearly been fifty years, and yet I cannot transform into my demon state."

"That's exactly the reason, Inuyasha. It's only nearly been fifty years. Do you realize how long it takes to perfect such a technique? Lord Sesshoumaru had learned how to do such a thing, but not even he has yet perfected his movements. Only your father has, but you must realize that your father was ancient. No one knows how old he was. Even your father himself lost count."

"It doesn't matter. I'm the only full grown demon in the Western Lands that can't do it. It's not right."

Ziah could only sigh at Inuyasha. "You honestly don't realize how young you are. Your brother is almost 1000 and you're not even yet 200."

"I'm almost—"

"That's not the point. You may look like the rest of us, but you were still a half demon." Ziah didn't mean to pick with him. She was merely stating a fact. She knew that Inuyasha was pulling his weight, so she didn't pick with him as often as she used to.

"I need to be stronger."

"Don't we all?" On his rants though, he could be a tad annoying. She instead tried to look at the task at hand. "Look ahead Inuyasha. That cave is the hideout of the bat demons."

"That wasn't too hard." The rumor proved to be true, for there was a bat demon standing right in the mouth. This bat demon was very handsome, with long silver hair in a ponytail and soft blue eyes. His features were much more delicate than those of his bat demon brethren that Inuyasha had seen. His brethren looked like vicious demons, while this one seemed different. "Let's finish this."

"Wait, you moron!" She grabbed a hold of Inuyasha and pulled him back before he did something stupid. "Their known for their barriers and that bat demon is the one making them. His name is Tsukyoumaru."

"Tsukyoumaru, huh?"

"Yes. The power was said to be passed down from his father, Taigokumaru. When the trait is passed down, the one who passed it can no longer do it." She sighed. "It's clear that we can't overcome his barrier. We should seek out Lord Sesshoumaru. I'm sure he could break it."

"We're not even going to try?"

"Just trust me, Inuyasha. We need Lord Sesshoumaru. I'll go and fetch him. Just stay around and keep an eye on things. But before I go, you have to promise me that you won't fall in love with any humans."

"Just shut up and go!"

She was laughing as she left him alone, but she was partly serious. Though Inuyasha seemed to redeem himself, old habits do die-hard.

"As if I would…again..." Inuyasha decided since he couldn't attack Tsukyoumaru, he would see if he could find any other bat demons. They all couldn't be inside the cave, so he used his nose to sniff them out. His nose led him straight towards the human village, where there were bat demons circling the sky and humans screaming and running in fear. There was a time that Inuyasha would have had compassion for them, but they had withered his compassion away.

"Ahhhhh!" Inuyasha could hear the screams of one woman in particular and could smell the scent of blood in the air. For some reason, he couldn't ignore her and followed the scream, just to know what was going on. He had nothing better to do. Why would he kill the bat demons while they destroyed the villagers? Why accidentally save the humans that he despised more than his brother's enemies?

He didn't see her screaming outside with the humans being attacked. She was inside a house. "Anyone home?"

Her screams ceased as she saw a silver-haired figure in the doorway. "Tsukyoumaru? Is that you?"

Inuyasha thought that to be very interesting. "That's a strange name to call, while you're in labor." Inuyasha stepped inside so she could see his face. "Is he the father?"

"Who are you? Are you Sesshoumaru, the Great Demon Lord?" She had heard talk from Tsukyoumaru of Sesshoumaru. She knew that the bat demons were recently at war and they were unfortunately weaker than Sesshoumaru. She didn't fear for her life, but for the life of her child. Why wouldn't Sesshoumaru kill a half demon bat child?

"Not exactly," stated Inuyasha. "I'm his brother."

She grunted in agony. "Please help me!"

Inuyasha was insulted by her desperate pleas for help, after what humans did to him. "Get someone else to help you. I detest humans. Why should I help you?"

"No one else wants to help...ugh...bring a half breed into this world. I heard a rumor that you once were."

"Once, and even then I detested you humans."

"Then do it for my child!"

It was all so strange. He was watching her struggle, and it reminded him of his mother for some reason. It was like he was watching his own birth. People probably wouldn't have helped his mother, if she hadn't had such a high position. Then again, someone did attempt to kill them both that night. "I have no obligation to you. You're lucky that I'll let you live."

"But—" They both stopped speaking once they suddenly heard no screams and could clearly hear two male voices speaking. "Tsukyoumaru."

Inuyasha just tried to listen. The situation was beginning to get complicated, but it was really beginning to get interesting.

"Father, you swore you would not wage war on these mortals."

"You've been weak, Tsukyoumaru. Ever since you met that mortal, you've been weak."

"Don't touch her father, or I swear I won't protect our clan."

"That's absurd. With the dog demons afoot, you can't afford—"

"If you want protection, you'll leave them alone."

There was nothing more said and Inuyasha could hear wings as they thrashed against the wind. It was then; that he knew it was all over. "It would seem that things have calmed down."

Outside things were calming down, but in that small house, that woman felt as if she was exploding. "Ahhhhhhhhhh!"

Tsukyoumaru heard his human bride screams with his sensitive ears and ran to her. He came in fear of her safety and to see his child's birth, and he was going to make sure to see to both of his tasks. "I'm coming!" Tsukyoumaru busted in through the door and was shocked and a bit angry to see a dog demon with his mortal bride. "What are you doing here, Inuyasha?"

At first, his answer was only a smirk. "I see my reputation precedes me."

Tsukyoumaru was not in the mood for humor though. "Answer me!"

"Calm down. I wasn't going to hurt her. I don't have any interest in her whatsoever, Tsukyoumaru. I was simply curious about your half demon brat."

"And you weren't one?"

Inuyasha grunted, but resisted the urge to kill him. It wasn't a hard urge to resist, since he didn't feel it too strongly about killing him. He didn't really want to kill Tsukyoumaru then. He didn't even want to fight at that moment. He just wanted to let them be, for some reason…"I suppose you want to help her and see your child. I guess I'll let you have one last request before I kill you."

"I won't let you destroy me or any part of my family."

"If you don't serve Lord Sesshoumaru, then you die. It's as simple as that." He smirked. "See you tomorrow when the sun sets in the west. That's when I'll kill you."

"As if you could kill me."

Inuyasha should have finished them off right then and there. Tsukyoumaru was the one who Inuyasha had seen from earlier in the cave. He was the one making the barriers, but Inuyasha could tell that there was something wrong with him. He was becoming weaker for some reason. That would have been the perfect time to kill him, but Inuyasha decided to leave him be and wait for another day.

_'I'm being stupid.' _He had just walked out, but now he thought he should go back in. "Why should he be doing them any favors? I don't like humans and certainly don't have any sympathy for the bat demons. Tsukyoumaru is my enemy. He must die!" Though he said it and believed that killing him was the right thing to do, he didn't walk back in there. He had every intention of destroying all of them, including that child, but he couldn't…"I'll let him see his kid and then I'll kill him."

* * *

"It's a girl…" said Tsukyoumaru, just above a whisper. He couldn't believe that he had a daughter to hold in his hands. She resembled him so much, with her demon like features, such as the hair and the eyes, but she was gentle like her mother. _'She's in danger though, as well as the rest of my clan.'_

"Why are you so depressed? Did you really want a boy that bad?" his mortal bride teased. "What's the matter? She appears to be in good health."

"Our daughter…" He stroked his girl's face with his thumb as gently as possible. She was still crying. "She now has the power to put up a barrier. I no longer have that power."

"Do you need that power to defeat the dog demons?"

"Sesshoumaru hasn't appeared yet and I can tell that Inuyasha has not fully tapped into his demonic power. He was a half demon and it is said that he used the Shikon Jewel in order to become full demon. I'm confident that I can defeat him."

"Then what is the problem, Tsukyoumaru? If you can defeat Inuyasha then—"

"It's my clan that worries me."

She couldn't argue with that. She hated his clan and prayed that they would learn to be more like him. "Your father…" She could tell by the look in his eyes. "This is about your father, isn't it?" He didn't want to answer her. "He'll leave this village alone, won't he? His granddaughter will be here in this village. Why would he attack it still?"

"The only reason why my clan decided to stop attacking your village was because I told him that I wouldn't protect our clan anymore. He needed me to keep our barrier up, but now I don't have the power anymore."

"Oh Tsukyoumaru…" She didn't know quite what to say. She didn't trust his father, and she could see that he too didn't trust him either. The village would now be prey. "Does he know of our daughter?"

"No, he only knows of you. He doesn't wish to know the details of our relationship, and I didn't want to tell him that you were pregnant, not with how he's been acting lately." What had to be done would be hard for Tsukyoumaru, but it was something that needed to be done. It was the only way to protect his family. "I'll have to leave my tribe."

"What? You'd leave your tribe?"

He nodded. "My father won't listen to me. He's been hysterical and paranoid as of lately. He needs my power and will be angry that I've passed it down to my daughter who's too young to wield it. He'd probably get rid of me and then take our daughter."

"Now you're the one sounding paranoid! He's your father."

"I wouldn't suspect this of him if we didn't face such a horrible threat, but with what's been going on, he'd do whatever he could to win."

"Well…we…" She hadn't put much thought into what her daughter's life would be like. It would be better if she had a boy. "The villagers hate me for what I've done. They think that it is wrong for us to be together and they can't understand." She had been lying down on her bed, since she had been so exhausted from giving birth to her child, but she sat up in order to hold her child again. "I wish to hold her again."

"Shiori."

"Shiori?" The new mother asked. He nodded. "That's what her name shall be." She grabbed a hold of her child and rocked her until she fell asleep."

"We should leave."

It all sounded so simple, yet she didn't understand what he had just said. "What do you mean?"

"No one wants us here anymore. We'll simply take Shiori and go."

"And go where? We'll never be accepted and Sesshoumaru would track you down."

"Sesshoumaru doesn't hunt for a blood lust. He kills for a purpose and destroying me serves none. He only wants to destroy the bat tribe in order to take over these lands. He's simply expanding his border."

"But—"

"But we'll be safe. Shiori will be safe. We'll find a way to make it work. Just trust me."

She tried to. She honestly did, but for some reason, she knew something wasn't going to go right and it would end in tears. She was afraid. _'My love…'_

"We'll go in the morning. I'll get you and Shiori to safety and then I'll lay things straight with my father."

"If you say so…if you say so…"

* * *

They kept their word to each other. Bright in the morning they gathered some traveling food and money and began to leave. He carried his daughter while they exited the village and they traveled farther beyond that. _'Father, I will not let you use my daughter.' _He wasn't going to let them ruin his family. He would help his love and his baby girl escape and it was all going according to his plan, until he picked up the scent of a dog.

"I thought I said when the sunsets." Inuyasha had been spying on them from the time they left the village, hiding among whatever shadows he could. Now he was hiding among the trees. "Have you really been that distracted? You haven't even picked up my scent until now."

"Come out from behind that tree, Inuyasha."

Inuyasha did so without hesitation. "Running away?"

"I was going to come back to face you."

"Oh really?"

"What?" asked Shiori's mother. "You said we would leave! Aren't we going together?"

"I swear I'll find you once I get the chance, but as of right now, I have to stop them."

"Stop who? You're leaving your tribe! You have no quarrel with Inuyasha!"

"Leaving your people on the eve of a great battle?" Inuyasha crossed his arms. "Are you really going to leave your tribe to die? I would never—"

"You don't understand what it's like to have responsibilities!"

That offended Inuyasha. "I what?"

"You're just a child, pretending to be a man. You think I have no loyalties? I would die for my family."

"I know loyalty. I've served my brother for most of my life."

"And that's all you've known. What of the loyalty to your human blood? You disregarded your race and your human mother."

That struck a nerve deep within Inuyasha's soul. "Shut up! You don't know anything about me, my mother, or what I've been through."

"I don't?" It was then that Tsukyoumaru pulled up one of the sleeves on his wife's kimono, just a little bit, so Inuyasha could see the bruises on her arms. "That's only to Shiori's mother. What do you think would happen to my girl?"

"I didn't know that you knew…" She put her head down in shame. "The villagers hate me and what I gave birth to. I would hate to see what your tribe would do to either of us."

"I wouldn't let them hurt Shiori."

"I know they wouldn't hurt Shiori. They need her." Her voice became weak and fragile. "I was talking about you and me, Tsukyoumaru. I think that they'd hurt you." She began to cry softly.

Tsukyoumaru wanted to strongly object, but how could he? He knew it was true. "We know Inuyasha; we just have the courage to deal with it."

Inuyasha was a little speechless and a bit enraged that she was abused by the villagers, but he was mostly angry that Tsukyoumaru spoke against him for disregarding his human blood. "They did that to her and you wish for me to stay half demon? Humans are treacherous and I despise them! I am glad that I am not one of them."

"Glad or just relieved."

"Is there a difference?"

"You'd be glad, just for the fact that you're separated from them, because you really do detest them. You'd be relieved because you couldn't deal with being ashamed of yourself."

"You're insane!"

"And you're both, Inuyasha. The truth is that you mostly changed for your brother to accept you. I bet if you had a half breed, you wouldn't have the courage to do what I'm doing now, because you'd be too afraid to rebel against your brother."

"I'm not afraid of him. I just know how to defend my family, that's all. I have obligations."

"And so do I." Tsukyoumaru drew his sword and spread his wings. "I will not let you kill my family and that includes the rest of my bat tribe." He charged Inuyasha, but Inuyasha got out the way in time to avoid a fatal blow. He was still hit. "Leave me be. I just want to get them to safety. Then I'll fight you to the death if you want."

"A fight to the death…" Inuyasha caught a whiff of something, so he began to sniff the air and his sharp sense of smell determined what it was. "Human blood and a fire."

"The village is being attacked." Shiori's mother placed her hand on her dear husband. "Will you please save them, Tsukyoumaru?"

When he looked into her eyes, he knew that she was afraid. He knew that she was angry. He knew that she was sad. But when he looked into her eyes, he could also see the compassion she held for the villagers and for all things. She was so beautiful for that. "You want me to save them after what they've done to you?"

She nodded.

"But what if my demon brethren show up and you're alone? Then what should I do?" Though he never wished to deny her anything, he couldn't leave her alone. He was too afraid for her. "I cannot leave you to yourself."

She began to sob on his chest while she held their daughter in her hands. "Oh Tsukyoumaru! I do not wish to see any bloodshed. I only want to live in peace, but there will never be peace!"

_'She's right,'_ Inuyasha thought to himself, _'there will never be peace…'_ That was when memory after memory began to flood his mind. It had been a long time since he thought of his human mother, but now he couldn't get her off his mind. He remembered the way she used to hold him. He remembered the way she sounded when she sang to him. He remembered her touch, her scent, her very essence. She was so beautiful, so kind, and so gentle. She loved him, and he loved her. She died protecting him, and he tried to protect her. With his actions as of lately, he had to ask himself if he would still do the same. He always thought that he would have done anything if he was strong enough to stop it, but now he wasn't so sure. He was watching a family, just like his, and he was doing nothing but causing them pain. Tsukyoumaru was just like Inuyasha's father. Shiori's mother was just like Inuyasha's mother. And Shiori was Inuyasha. How could he stand there and do nothing? If he did do nothing, it would be like watching his mother die again.

"I'll stay with them."

Tsukyoumaru was of course shocked. He didn't trust Inuyasha and Inuyasha knew that. "Why would I leave my wife and child to my enemy?"

"Because…" Inuyasha looked away, a bit embarrassed. "It's more than that…"

Tsukyoumaru knew what he meant, and was in a way, proud of Inuyasha. _'He's a full demon, but he can still remember his mother.'_ "You would get them to safety and you wouldn't harm them?"

"I'm not the type to kill helpless women and children, Tsukyoumaru. I swear I won't harm them." Inuyasha didn't have to say anything about Tsukyoumaru's fate. Inuyasha could smell the scent of Ziah and his brother. Tsukyoumaru wasn't coming back. Inuyasha could smell the scent of bat demon blood. Sesshoumaru had entered the battle. Tsukyoumaru would do what he could to help the villagers, but he would try to save the bat demons, and fight of the dog demons as well. He wasn't going to make it. "Tsukyoumaru—"

"Don't say anything," he warned. He kissed his human bride and gave her the most passionate goodbye kiss he could muster in his very being. He didn't want her to know he was about to die. "Take care."

Inuyasha said nothing more to Tsukyoumaru. He only gave a nod of respect as he took off into the air, prepared to make the ultimate sacrifice for some humans who despised him, his demon brethren who would betray him, and the woman who loved him. _'You fool…'_ Regardless of his foolishness, he earned Inuyasha's respect.

* * *

Inuyasha got Shiori and her mother far away from the village. They would be safe for a little while. Besides, the bat demons were probably dead. No one would come after them, except maybe some half demon haters. "You still won't be safe."

"What are you talking about?" the unaware widow asked. "Tsukyoumaru will come and we'll be safe."

Inuyasha didn't want to say. "Listen; there is a island that appears every fifty years. It's a place where demons and humans live peacefully."

"There's such a place?"

Inuyasha gave a nod. "A priestess told me about it. It's called Houraijima Island. I was going to go there, but…"

"You used the Shikon Jewel?"

Inuyasha nodded again. "You can go there with Shiori in a few years. Less than ten, I'd say." Inuyasha had nothing more to say and began to walk away, leaving the mother and daughter to fend for themselves.

"You coward!"

Inuyasha turned around and saw that she was crying, and so was her daughter. They were both mourning and they both somehow knew.

"You know that he's gone! You weren't going to tell me? You were going to let me believe that he was alive, until I was alone for years and would finally come to the conclusion. Well, you're a coward! You could have at least told me!"

"Woman…" There really wasn't much Inuyasha could say to her. She still hated him, and he wasn't too thrilled with her either. "Sometimes it's best to keep on believing. In the end, all we really have is hope."

"Hope?" She would try to remember that. There was hope that the world would be different one day.

As Inuyasha walked away, he couldn't focus off of the baby's screams. She somehow knew she was alone without her father. "Tell the girl that her father died protecting her. That's how my old man died as well." Inuyasha said nothing more, and didn't even give them another look. _'I should get back to the battle. Ziah will tell Sesshoumaru that I've fallen in love with another human, if I don't hurry!' _

The widow was sad to be without a husband, but she knew that her husband was a hero, deep within her heart. She also knew that there was a place where she could live in peace. She would go there with her daughter one day. She would learn to be happy, somehow. "There is at least hope. There's hope that the world will be different one day. One day…"

**To be continued… **


	10. Chapter 10: Kagome

Chapter 10

I don't own Inuyasha

"Are you certain that you'd like to go through with this, Inuyasha?"

"But of course." Inuyasha cracked his knuckles, prepared to face his brother. Inuyasha was excited, but Sesshoumaru didn't seem too thrilled. "Don't act like I'm not going to be a challenge brother. I plan on defeating you!"

"I'm not acting, Inuyasha. You won't last five minutes against me, as always."

"This time things will be different."

"Different than the last fifty? What's going to change? Are you planning on me to simply drop dead while you take your victory?"

Inuyasha grunted. "You'll see! I'll defeat you finally!" Inuyasha charged at his brother with full speed on the outskirts of a village that Inuyasha remembered well. They were passing through and Inuyasha felt in the mood for a sparing match. Sesshoumaru accepted, since he had nothing better to do, plus, it wouldn't take that long. Inuyasha was determined to prove his brother wrong though.

"Come at me Inuyasha, and once again accept defeat."

"I'll prove you wrong!" Inuyasha charged his brother, but Sesshoumaru quickly moved out of the way. Inuyasha didn't let that discourage him and kept on trying. "You're not going to win this time, Sesshoumaru. Iron Reaver, Soul Stealer!"

Sesshoumaru easily stopped Inuyasha's attack by simply grabbing Inuyasha's hand. "How many times do I have to stop you, before you come up with a new strategy that's actually effective?"

Inuyasha's arm began to burn up, so he whinced in pain. He didn't panic though. "That time Sesshoumaru, is now!" He grabbed the arm hand that Sesshoumaru was using to burn Inuyasha, and Inuyasha began to burn Sesshoumaru.

Sesshoumaru didn't flinch. "I see that you've tapped into more of your demonic powers, Inuyasha."

"Impressed?"

"No. Your posion barely tickles." Sesshoumaru still had a free hand, which he used to punch Inuyasha, and he knocked him flat on his back. "How foolish of you, Inuyasha. Did you really think your posion could burn through my skin before mine burned through yours?"

Inuyasha wiped the blood away from his mouth and sprang back up to his feet. "I've got some more tricks, brother."

"If that's so, then let me bear witness to what you have to offer, little brother."

A smirk slowly appeared on Inuyasha's face and his voice began to change into a low and menacing tone. "Oh I will, brother, I will."

_'Interesting...it appears that he's about to transform.'_ Sesshoumaru wasn't too confident in his brother's abilities, though. "How could a former half demon expect to transform after such a short amount of time?"

"Stand right there and find out!" Inuyasha's demonic aura began to increase until it surrounded him. He looked like he was straining. He was trying with all of his being, but he was having so much trouble brining all of his power to surface. He wasn't about to give up though. He was going to win if it was the last thing he did.

"What's the matter, Inuyasha?" Sesshoumaru was purely mocking his little brother. "Do you not have enough power?" Sesshoumaru knew Inuyasha did not. There was no possible way that Inuyasha could have had enough power to transform. Inuyasha wasn't even 200 years yet. "Inuyasha...can you muster up enough power?"

Inuyasha wanted to prove his brother wrong so badly, but he couldn't seem to bring out the beast that was within him and what really bothered him, was the question of weather or not he could tame that beast if he got released. _'Why can't I...'_ He finally decided to give it up after Sesshoumaru got tired of mocking him.

Sesshoumaru saw that his brother was no longer going to do anything else. His little brother had lost, plain and simple. It was impossible for Inuyasha to do anymore. He wasn't going to transform, no matter how hard he tried. "That's enough, Inuyasha. We're leaving."

Inuyasha didn't want to get up and go. He wanted to sulk for a moment in his defeat. "I'll catch up." He really could be a child! It wasn't like he could defeat Sesshoumaru, yet he was so upset. "I'd like to be on my own." It wasn't all Inuyasha's fault, though. Sesshoumaru did often treat his little brother like he was a child. He didn't treat him like a boy, but Sesshoumaru did keep making points that Inuyasha was immature. After all, he was the little brother and so it was a bit hard for him to grow up into a full man. But it wasn't like Inuyasha had fully matured anyway. Sesshoumaru himself wasn't even fully matured.

"Very well." With nothing more to say, Sesshoumaru left his younger brother without giving another thought to him.

Inuyasha didn't want to stay in that spot all day and he most certainly didn't want to end up going in the same direction as his brother. _'I guess I could go back to that village…'_ He didn't really care too much about seeing it, but was rather curious to what had become of it ever since Kikyou died. _'That's odd…' _Inuyasha didn't feel so sad when thinking about _her._ He tried not to give her much thought at all and now he felt a bit alright mentioning her. _'I thought becoming a full demon would help me forget about her, but is it really working or am I fooling myself?'_ He couldn't tell at that moment. He couldn't tell with the way he was feeling right at that time. "I'll go see."

So off he began to go the village while thinking of her, but it didn't really make his heart feel sad or even happy for that matter. He felt nothing and was glad for that, but something also felt wrong about it. He wanted to forget, but did he have the right? Should he have forgotten Kikyou?

Then a small whiff of something entered his nose and he was half certain what it was, but he couldn't be right. He just couldn't be right. _'There's no possible way that could be around. I made sure it would be gone…' _With stronger whiffs in his nostrils, he started to become even more convinced of what he smelled. _'It's mixed with blood!'_

He would go back the village. His uncertain steps began to dramatically change into quick steps of panic. If what he truly smelt was at the village, then he could not allow anyone else to have it. It was a danger to all. _'Besides, if it falls into someone else's hands, then it could easily give our enemies power. My brother is winning his war, but the jewel…'_ The Shikon Jewel was too powerful to be dealt into the game. _'I've got to get to it!'_

Past the village and deep within the forest Inuyasha could smell the jewel and smell human blood. He could also hear screams of a young woman. She was yelling for help and meant it with all her heart. _'I need to get that jewel!'_ A little farther off than a well was where he saw the girl screaming for a savior, who was indeed holding the Jewel of Four Souls. She was so young, pretty, but helpless. Though Inuyasha didn't remember his love to be that way, she most certainly looked like her. "Kikyou?"

He wasn't sure what he was feeling. He didn't even remember thinking anymore. He moved without thinking and within a moment's time, he attacked the creature that was attacking what appeared to be Kikyou and destroyed it. "Kikyou!"

"Kikyou?" Her voice was different as well. She sounded young and fragile when she asked of the name he was speaking of. She didn't seem to know what he was talking about, and she looked nervous when he jumped right in front of her and grabbed her, like she didn't know who he was. "Who is Kikyou?"

_'What?'_ So it couldn't have been Kikyou, and yet she had to be! She was holding the Shikon Jewel in her shaking hands. "A reincarnation?"

"And who are…" She lost the ability to stand and collapsed within his arms. She was cut and scratched all over, probably a result from battling that centipede demon. She was probably mostly hurt from the wound on her side, where blood was coming out. From the wound though, it looked like something had come out, rather than pierced her body.

"Kikyou…"

* * *

When the girl opened her eyes, she could smell the scent of water and could feel it as it gently sprinkled her face. Her curiosity woke her up and she saw that she was near a waterfall with a strange boy that had rescued her. Now that things weren't so hectic, she could clearly see that she wasn't dealing with a boy. He didn't even look human. "What are you?"

"I'm a demon," he replied rather coldly.

"A demon?" She didn't sound too scared. She was much more collected than before from when she was running from the female centipede demon. "But I thought demons were…" She leaned in a little closer to Inuyasha, who was sitting right next to her, "you know, evil looking?"

"Evil looking how?" he asked half offended. "Do you mean ugly?"

She nodded. "Actually, yes, I thought demons were giant monsters that terrorize people and…you don't seem that bad."_ 'At least he doesn't seem anyway…' _"You did save me, didn't you?"

"Yeah I did, but…" _'She's acting strange. She's never seen a demon before?'_ Inuyasha had taken a good look at her clothes and they did look odd. He hadn't seen anyone dressed like that before. She didn't even smell like anyone he had ever seen before either. She did smell, kind of nice though. "Uh…where are you from?"

"I'm…" She looked up in the sky and saw the stars fully and so beautifully. "Wow…you never get to see them like this where I'm from…" Then it dawned on her that she really didn't know where she was. She remembered how she got there, but it didn't make any sense whatsoever. "Uh…" She saw that he was waiting for an answer and she did owe him one. "I came from a well…and I don't know how I got here…besides that."

"A well, huh?"

She nodded. "I'm not in Hell or anything, am I?"

"No, you're not. You're still on earth."

"Okay…" _'Then where on this planet am I? Since I got here, I've only seen that centipede and now this guy. They both seem to be demons. I can't really be on another part of earth, because that same well was there. Where am I?' _

"What else can you tell me, besides that?"

"What else?" She shrugged her shoulders. "I don't know where I am or even how it's possible how I got here. What else do you expect me to say?"

"How about your name?"

That was a simple request. "Oh…well, I'm Kagome."

"Kagome?" _'So she's not Kikyou after all.'_ "And the jewel that came out your body," he held it out, since it was in his hand, "do you know what this is?"

"I'm not…sure."

"It's called the Shikon Jewel, or in other words, the Jewel of Four Souls. There was once a woman named Kikyou who protected the jewel, but she was murdered by a group of bandits."

"That's terrible!" Kagome saw that the demon boy in front of her flinch once he referred to the girl. _'He must…' _"Did you know this Kikyou?"

He nodded. He felt a bit uneasy talking about her, but it wasn't like how it first was when she died. He felt different from when he was a half demon. He was much more sad and much more in love with her_. 'Have I really forgotten Kikyou? It's what I first wanted, but now…'_ "I knew her. She was a human priestess. She died about fifty years ago."

"I see…" The time span didn't dawn on her until a later time. "Oh my gosh! You must be over fifty years then, but you don't look it at all. You only look about my age."

"Demons age differently than you humans."

Kagome almost flinched at what he said. He sounded a bit cold and like he was trying to remain detached from her. His tone was so distant, but his eyes told a different story. His eyes seemed to be lonely. _'Poor guy, I bet he loved that Kikyou woman. He seems sad talking about her.' _"Hey, you called me Kikyou earlier."

"So?" he asked with a bit of an attitude. "What does that have to do with anything?"

"Well, why did you call me that name if she died fifty years ago?" He just turned his head from her. He didn't want to answer her. "Hey, I'm talking to you!" He still didn't want to answer her. "Hey buddy, if you don't answer me than you'll regret it!"

He finally got irritated enough to answer. "You look like her! Are you happy now?" She was different now. She was a lot bolder than he originally thought. "You look a lot like her…" His anger did begin to die down. "Actually…" He faced her again, and there was something about seeing her right then and there that made him feel…empty. He thought he had everything he wanted, yet his perfect life was beginning to crumble. He had no foundation. He only had a false happiness that he was trying to deceive by gaining power. _'Power is enough isn't it? Isn't it…?'_

"Inuyasha, are you alright?" _'He must have loved her a lot. That's why he can't look me in the eye.'_ She felt sad for him, but she felt something else around him. She was very much attracted to this demon boy. He was very cute. "Hey…"

"Kagome…" He didn't know quite what to say. "I think you are…Kikyou."

_'His grief is making him crazy? The poor guy!'_ "Uh…well you told me that Kikyou died fifty years ago. If that's true, then how is it possible that I'm her?"

He spoke without hesitation. "I believe that you are Kikyou's reincarnation."

"Reincarnation?" _'Now this guy has really flipped his lid!'_ "Um, well why would you think such a thing?"

"Because the jewel that came out your body was burned with Kikyou's body many years ago. I thought it was rid from this world, but you've brought it back, and only Kikyou's reincarnation could have brought such a thing."

"Oh yeah…" She touched her side where the jewel had come out and she noticed that the wound was covered and cleaned up. It still hurt, but not as much as it should. "Did you do this?"

He nodded. "You passed out in my arms. What should I have done? Should I have let you bleed to death?"

"Thank you…oh, what was your name?"

"Oh…" he didn't realize that he hadn't said his name. "My name is Inuyasha."

"Inuyasha?" She smiled. "Well, I'm very thankful to meet you, Inuyasha."

Inuyasha didn't respond. He was buried deep within his own thoughts. "I've made a terrible mistake."

"A mistake?"

"Well, not a mistake, but I've done something, to the jewel." Kagome didn't say anymore. She just waited for him to go on. "I was once a half demon, and I wanted to become a full fledged demon, so I went after Kikyou in order to steal the jewel. Kikyou was powerful enough to stop me though, and sometime while we were battling we…"

Kagome was taken in by his story, but he stopped. He obviously didn't usually open up to people. _'Well, he started talking!' _"Well, go on Inuyasha!" He still didn't want to say. _'Come on!'_ She decided to gently suggest it. "You fell in love with her, didn't you?"

He gave a nod. "But then one day bandits came in search of the jewel and she was killed. I wasn't able to save her."

"That's horrible! How could someone be so cruel?"

"I've seen the evils of men's hearts and I no longer wished to go through it. I no longer wished to be a half human. I wanted to embrace power of my demon brethren rather than the hypocrisy of man."

"Hypocrisy?" Kagome saw his nod and she knew that whatever Inuyasha had been through, it had been hard. She felt horrible for him and wished that there was something she could do.

"I used the jewel to turn myself into a full demon. With that blood, I became more powerful, but unfortunately so did the jewel." As he rubbed it with his fingers, he knew the truth. _'If I would have used the jewel to become human, the jewel would become purified and cease to exist. Because I used it to become a demon though, it became stronger, and now I don't know how to get rid of it.'_ "Kagome..."

"What is it, Inuyasha?"

"You are taking this rather well, considering that you don't know where you are or how you got here."

"Well, I know that centipede demon pulled me down."

"She must have sensed the jewel inside you…" There was an awkward moment of silence between the two of them.

Kagome didn't know what to say and Inuyasha had too much to say that he didn't want to even mention. Kagome wanted to ask personal questions, but she didn't know whether she should or not. She should really concentrate on how to get home, not some stranger's problems. "Inuyasha—"

"Kagome…"

She paused as soon as he said something to her.

"Kagome, I need to know something." He seemed so serious at the time, but there was such confusion in his heart. "I've been thinking about this a long time and I didn't know how to test it, but now since you're here, I think I can finally know."

"Finally know what?"

_'You're being such a fool, Inuyasha.'_ He stood to his feet and grabbed her hands. "Please stand up, Kagome."

"O—okay…" She did as he asked. _'What is he doing?'_

"You really are a lot like her, Kagome. You're not exactly like her. I can see the difference with you two, but I can still tell that you're her." Touching Kagome did nothing for his heart and for that, he felt like he had done something wrong. "You're warm like she was. It's exactly the same warmth in your hands." He knew he was probably making a fool out of himself, but had to know. "You don't have the same scent, but it's so sweet, like her scent was."

_'What is this feeling I'm beginning to have?' _

"Kagome…" He touched her face, "You're soft like she was. You're even a bit softer, I think." He was even able to crack a smile. "You're not as beautiful as she was—"

"What?" she yelled. "Are you kidding me? What happened to all those compliments?"

"But you're very pretty, Kagome, very pretty."  
_  
'Well pal, that's not going to cut it! Who do you think you are, comparing me to your girlfriend? That's not even fair!'_ "And what else?" she asked rather rudely.

"You don't act like her. Your behavior is more like mine, than hers. But what she and I had was different. She and I were…different." He saying all of those things did nothing for him. His heart didn't ache. He talked about what happened and what he shared with her, and he didn't feel sorrow, or even happy remembering her. _'Did I truly forget? Isn't that what I wanted?'_ It's what he thought he wanted. _'Is it right for me to forget her?'_

"Where are you going with all this?" She had managed to calm down from his comment before. She was once again curious.

"Kagome, I need to do this. I need to know if I still feel, or if I've forgotten. I think I have, but I don't know if it was right for me to. I need to know if demons can still feel, the way I felt when I did this." He didn't let her question what he was about to do. He just took her and embraced her with all he had. She was surprised and didn't know what to do. She had never kissed a boy before. Her first reaction was to get him off, but she couldn't do that. She felt like…she was home. She felt right, and though she had never kissed before, she began to hold him and embrace him as well. Inuyasha didn't want to embrace a total stranger, but he needed to know if he could still feel. He needed to know if he could remember what it was like. Did he forget? Did he forget what it was like to feel?

"No…" he muttered.

Kagome pulled away, once her senses came back. "Oh my gosh…" She had never turned such a bright red color. "I've never been kissed before…" It felt good though. It just felt right. _'My heart won't stop pounding.'_ "No what, Inuyasha?"

"No, I didn't forget." His heart was pounding too. "I don't think I forgot and I still feel…"

The two of them both found themselves smiling at each other. Kagome's heart had been stolen away with a kiss and his had been reunited with his soul mate. "I'm glad you found what you were looking for, Inuyasha."

He thought that perhaps Kagome coming would be a blessing, but then he remembered reality. "Kagome, I may feel something for you, but I'm still a demon."

"And what's that supposed to mean?" Kagome almost laughed. "Some of you obvious are pretty nice and you've got feelings. I mean, look at yourself. You saved me, and…you just kissed me. You're still smiling like an idiot." Inuyasha's smile faded. "Come on, Inuyasha. I know that you feel something. Didn't your parents feel something? Your demon…"

"Father…"

"Your demon father must have loved your human mother."

He knitted his eyebrows together.

"Look, that kiss was…special, but I'm not saying we should get together, because I still don't know where I am. I just know that I felt something from you, and I know that you can love. You loved Kikyou and I think that transferred onto me. You can feel and you can love."

"I know Kagome, and that's what I just found out, but…" He sighed heavily. "I'm a demon, and my brother is a very dangerous demon. He doesn't like humans, and to be honest, I don't either. Kikyou was an exception, but I really don't like them." Kagome's hopeful smile died down into a frown. "You're also not from this world. Wherever you're from—beyond the well—you should go back, and I mean now. This place is too dangerous. It's filled with war. There are demon wars and many human wars. If you stay, you'll only be in danger so you must go."

"I must go?"

"You must."

When she first arrived, she wanted to go home so badly. She was almost eaten alive. Now she didn't feel so alone with Inuyasha around. "Do you think…do you think I can come and visit you sometime?"

He shook his head. "Kagome, I would love for you to be here, but you can't. It's too dangerous and I'm a dangerous man to be around, especially considering the war I'm in."

"But…" she could feel tears well up in her eyes. "What will happen to the jewel?"

"I'll do my best to protect it. I don't know how well I can, but I'll protect it with my life."

"But I…" _'I don't want to leave you, Inuyasha…' _She didn't want to go, but she knew she had to. She had to leave, forever.

* * *

Inuyasha let Kagome stay throughout the night, at her request. He built her a fire so that she could be warm and he got her food, so she wouldn't be hungry. He had to do so much for her, since demons close by could smell the jewel. Kagome was attacked three times that night and Inuyasha had to save her. He had to protect her, because he couldn't protect Kikyou. The attacks only proved Inuyasha's point and Kagome knew that she had to go, but it was still so hard when the two of them were at the well.

"Well, I guess I'm off." She looked down the well and doubted that she could get back home, but she had to try. "I've never met anyone like you, Inuyasha."

"Kagome, I really do care about you and that's why you have to leave."

She knew what had to be done. "I know, Inuyasha, it's just that I'd like to be with you."

It made him so happy to hear such a thing. "I'm sorry Kagome, but I can't be with you."

She tried not to look at him. It was too hard.

"Kagome, I believe that Kikyou and I had a destiny together and I'm sure if you're her reincarnation, you'll find your destiny too."

"Are you sure it's not with you?"

He kissed her forehead gently and stroked her cheeks as softly as he could. "You'll find your truth, just as you showed me mine." Kagome wasn't moving, so Inuyasha made her. He pushed her back down the well she came from, to never dawn his world again. As she was falling, she seemed to fall in slow motion. Her face was so hurt, just as his was, but he needed to do what he did, and she understood that.

Still, it was so hard.

"Goodbye, Kagome." He destroyed the well with a boulder after she disappeared through. He hoped that she was back in her world, wherever that was. And wherever she was, he hoped that she was safe. For whatever reason Kikyou had to die, he hoped that Kagome would find peace and that someone she was supposed to spend her life with. Not everything should end in such tragedy. Someone should get a happy ending.

Someone…

Perhaps that someone was Kagome.

As for Inuyasha, at least he knew the truth. He could still feel and that meant something to him. He remembered Kikyou.

That meant everything to him.

To be continued…


	11. Chapter 11: Demon Slayers

Chapter 11

"So," Inuyasha held the Shikon Jewel that he had gotten from Kagome in his hand out towards his brother. He was hoping that he would say something, but Sesshoumaru didn't quite look like he had anything to say at all. "Well..." Sesshoumaru still didn't have anything to say. Jaken seemed to have a lot to say about finding the jewel, but he was waiting to see what Sesshoumaru would say. But still, he said nothing. It was Inuyasha who finally decided to persist. "Well, we have the jewel. What do you wish to do with it?"

"I don't wish to do anything with it, Inuyasha."

Inuyasha went over the story of Kagome with Sesshoumaru, but Inuyasha left most of it out. He only told what he needed to and what Sesshoumaru asked. Inuyasha was afraid that Sesshoumaru would realize that there was more to the story. Even if Sesshoumaru did figure it out though, it was likely that he wouldn't say anything to Inuyasha. Sesshoumaru would not want to know the details of his little brother's short-lived relationship.

Jaken was the one who ended up being too bold with questions. "But don't you want to use the power of the jewel, my Lord?"

Sesshoumaru didn't make a face. He didn't even appear to be angry. He just casually bent down, picked up a very large rock, and threw it right between Jaken's eyes, knocking him unconscious. Inuyasha chuckled a bit. "As if I need the power of the jewel. I don't care what you do with it, Inuyasha."

"If one of our enemies gets a hold of the jewel—"

"Then their handicap will not be so large." Sesshoumaru let his little brother know that he did not care of jewel and that no matter what, he would not care who possessed it. "If you are so worried of the jewel and who it ends up with, then you take care of it, Inuyasha."

With that, Inuyasha had a new batch of responsibilities. There would be many demons that could smell the jewel, so there would be demons that would come after the jewel. Inuyasha had meant to get rid of it and it had now returned. Now that he had turned himself into a full demon, the jewel itself had become stronger. _'This is just my burden now. I'll have to be on my toes more than ever now.'_

"Do you plan on using the power of the jewel?" Sesshoumaru asked.

Inuyasha would be lying if he said he hadn't thought about it. Sesshoumaru was probably the only demon who hadn't. For that reason, Inuyasha couldn't use the power of the jewel. He knew his brother wouldn't and Inuyasha admired his brother. "No, I don't plan on it, but I will keep watch of the jewel."

And that was it. The conversation about the jewel had ended with that. Sesshoumaru didn't care anymore and Inuyasha wasn't going to bother his brother. Only one thing was clear now. Inuyasha had to get stronger, if he wanted to protect the jewel. It was now his burden to bear.

* * *

**Many Years Later...**

There was a man, a strong and mature man walking through the camp of those who dared to stand against Sesshoumaru and his demon followers. There were many gathered there in what really was a village of "demon slayers." His hair was as black as night, and his eyes were as deep as the sky. Any woman would be lucky to have him, but if he was to remind women of that, his efforts were usually greeted with a slap. That was a time long ago for the monk though. Things were different. He was in love with only one woman now. "Sango."

As the monk entered her home, she made sure that no one was around. They were luckily alone. "Miroku..." she muttered with barely any life at all. She was so saddened. Her brown eyes carried much sorrow. "We're getting killed out there."

"I know. It is as I feared." She tried not to face him. They had been resisting each other for quite some time, even though they were engaged with each other, and had been for a long while. He longed to run his fingers through her dark, black hair and press his lips onto her gentle one's, that had only been touched with his. "Sango, I..."

"Miroku..." She still wouldn't look at him. "I...I know that we can do this!" She tried to speak with as much confidence as possible, though she was not completely sure. "I'm a demon slayer. That's what I was born to do and I'll never give up until we are free."

Miroku smiled, looking on the bright side. "It's not as though we're slaves, Sango."

"That dog demon isn't taking over land for pure fun, Miroku. That Sesshoumaru demon plans to rule everything."

She was leaning against a wall, still avoiding his eyes. He wanted to look into hers' though, so he walked over next to her and placed his arm around hers'. "I've heard that he doesn't have the patience to enslave us, if that's what you think will become of us. And he doesn't kill unless it serves him purpose, and killing all humans doesn't serve his purpose either."

"You talk as if we can no longer fight."

"I know that you can fight, Sango. I'm not even saying that I'm ready to give up." He grabbed a hold of her shoulders and forced her to look into his eyes. "I'm a monk, Sango. Monks and priestess aren't really going to gain his favor. I'm more likely going to be killed than you or the rest of the demon slayers we've assembled. I'm not going to let him completely take over this world, yet I do not have enough spiritual powers to stop Sesshoumaru."

"What are you saying, Miroku?" She didn't want to hear him say that it was the end. It almost sounded as if he was leaving at that moment to fight to the death with Sesshoumaru right then and there. If that was the case then..."Oh Miroku..."

"Sango, I want you to bear my children."

All of her worry left and she quickly slapped him in the face. "What is wrong with you?"

"What do you mean?" Miroku held his burning cheek. She hadn't slapped him in a good while. "We're engaged. It's not as if you won't!"

"I thought something very serious was going on!"

"Yeah, I don't have any heirs in case I die! That's pretty serious to me!"

She wanted to yell at him some more, but she knew that he was right. "Miroku, you're the one who said that we should wait until the danger is over!"

"Yeah, and I said that when I was 20 years old, Sango. I'm not so patient anymore." He smirked. "Besides, it's not like we haven't slipped up on that promise before, anyway."

Sango blushed at that comment, remembering the few times. "Well I—"

"I want to..." He couldn't take it anymore. He had been a good boy for long enough. He was a man and he did love her. He'd do anything for her. "Sango, lets just forget about everything else and just do what we really want."

"Miroku..." She was blushing so much. She wanted to, but..."Should we?" Sango took a double take. _'No one is around...'_ "Miroku—"

He wouldn't let her say another word and he planted his lips against hers. They belonged together. It was as simple as that.

Between their kisses, Sango managed to say, "But Kohaku could be back and second from his mission."

That was enough to stop Miroku. "Then we had better go somewhere a little more private." He grabbed her hand and began to pull her off into another room.

Sango couldn't stop blushing. "You don't want to officially get married before we..." She remembered who she was talking to and just decided not to say anything further. They had both waited long enough. The war probably wasn't going to end. At least they had each other.

Kohaku, Sango's younger brother did return from his mission only a few minutes later, but Miroku was cautious about it. Once Kohaku arrived back in the village, Kirara, a demon cat, was waiting outside Sango's residence for him. "What are you doing there?" he asked. He bent down to pet her, but then saw a note at her feet. "Is this from sister?" He picked it up and read: "Go away." Blush filled his cheeks a bit. "No, this isn't from sister. It's a message from Miroku." Though he was a bit embarrassed, he sort of laughed. "I guess they have been waiting long enough." He sort of knew how Miroku felt. Kohaku was a man now and he also loved a woman.

"Kohaku!"

He turned around to see one of his male friends. He was also a demon slayer, a little older, who knew of his feelings and thought a bit odd of Kohaku for it. "She's already left."

"Rin has already gone without me?" That put a lot of fear into Kohaku. "But why would she?"

"Don't worry. She can take care of himself."

"But on my scouting I found out that it's not just some run of the mill demon!" Kohaku balled up his fists in panic, frustration, fear, and a bit of anger. "It's Inuyasha and Ziah! She won't make it back alive!" Kohaku couldn't wait any longer. He had to run and run as fast as he could. He had to get to Rin somehow. He had to save her before it was too late!

* * *

"I don't see why I always have to baby-sit you..." Ziah mumbled while talking to Inuyasha.

"No one asked you to. I'm a full grown demon. I can take care of myself."

"You've lost that jewel seven times in the past ten years!"

"I've always gotten it back!"

"Whatever..." She really did hate being put with Inuyasha. He was beginning to hold his own, but she would much rather be with Sesshoumaru. She did care for him, after all.

Inuyasha could tell by the look in her eye what she was thinking about. "Still mad because my brother hates you?"

That comment ended with Ziah punching Inuyasha in the face and knocking him down. "Shut up, Inuyasha! You don't know anything!"

"Sure I do." He wiped the blood from the side of his mouth and stood up. "Don't take it too personally. He hates everyone."

"Why you little insect!" Ziah calmed down quickly though, realizing something that she should have realized before. "Inuyasha, do you smell that?"

Inuyasha took a good whiff of the air. "No, I don't smell anything."

"Exactly..." _'I know this trick.'_ Ziah was pretty good at her job. She hardly ever slipped up. Maybe she hadn't been on her toes as much because of Inuyasha. She did feel as though she was losing a brain cell every time she was around him. "I can't smell you, the scent of your blood, or even the scent of this forest."

"Demon slayer..." Inuyasha growled a little bit, preparing himself to kill what was going to jump from among the trees.

"We must be close by a camp or something." Ziah smiled. "They're clever alright. They're probably hiding some of their best slayers in this forest, but they've used incense to dull our sense of smell."

"They must be really good, since I can't hear them."

_'I can't hear them either. Can a human really be this good?_' Ziah couldn't believe that she didn't know where the humans were. _'There can't be that many. One of them would have slipped up by now. I can't hear any of them.'_ Once Ziah finally caught a noise, it was actually too late for her to react and two curved blades pierced her body and ran right through her.

"Ziah!" Inuyasha saw the human's brown eyes, but couldn't see anything else. They wore a gas mask and covered their hair and their whole body. It appeared to be a male, but demon slayers were very smart. They could have been using padding to cover their female shape. There was no way to tell.

Ziah appeared to be okay though. Some blood tricked out of her mouth and she was a little hurt. She still managed to crack a smile, though a demon slayer had just stuck two swords in her back and was apparently still holding on. "Do you think you can kill me? That's not enough to—"

The demon slayer quickly took her advice and twisted the swords in two different directions while still inside Ziah's body.

That hurt! "Ahhh!" Ziah reached behind her as blood gushed from out of her mouth. She managed to scratch the demon slayer behind her in the side, but they didn't make a sound. _'I don't get it...'_ It had to have hurt. Ziah didn't get the demon slayer too deep, but Ziah was especially poisonous. No matter how much of a resistance this demon slayer had built up to poisons, they weren't going to survive Ziah's poison. Still, the demon slayer held on to their swords. Ziah got impatient with them quickly, and gave them a back kick, forcing them to let go of their weapon and fall. They still didn't let out a sound as they fell down.

"Are you alright?" Inuyasha asked.

Ziah pulled the sword from out of her back and grunted in pain as she did. The two swords had run right through her and twisted her insides. She was going to pass out, and if she just passed out, she would be lucky. She decided she wasn't going to die, or even pass out without making sure the demon slayer was dead. "I'll kill you..."

The demon slayer was wounded, but acted quickly and pulled out smoke bombs.

_'A miasma?'_ Inuyasha grabbed a hold of Ziah and jumped out of the way of the poisonous gas. Though the poison itself wouldn't have affected the two of them, the smell was awful to endure. The only dog demon who acted like it was nothing, was Sesshoumaru. But he always acted like everything was nothing. By the time Inuyasha got out of the smoke enough to see, the demon slayer was gone; he was left with a bleeding and perhaps dying Ziah in his hands, who was unconscious. He had managed to slightly pick up the demon slayer's scent, but he had to take care of Ziah now._ 'How did a human get the best of us like this?'_

It was indeed a mystery. They were very good, and perhaps the best demon slayer alive.

* * *

The demon slayer managed to escape, but could feel the poison burning into her body. Their only chance of survival was to return to the village and take some sort of antidote. That wasn't an option though. Inuyasha could pick up on the scent of them and follow back to the village of demon slayers. The risk was too great.

So the demon slayer just walked on as far as they could, past on towards a different village, far away. The demon slayer was fighting very hard for their life. And to think, just a little nick of poison from that demon was about to end their life. It was a good thing, this demon slayer caught Ziah and Inuyasha off guard. The slayer would have been slaughtered by the two, but the slayer proved to be wiser.

The slayer just had to cling on to life a little bit longer. The village was so close. So close...

"Come here!" One man yelled, as he saw the slayer fall. "It's a demon slayer!"

"Don't bring him into the village! He'll bring nothing but trouble! Get rid of him!" The other man wanted the slayer gone at all costs, but the other man saw opportunity.

"But look..." The man that found the demon slayer removed the mask and let the hair of the slayer free. "It's a woman, not a man. We don't have to sacrifice one of our own women to the demon."

"Yes, but do you think she is a virgin?"

"It doesn't matter. We'll just use her. We didn't want to use one of our own anyway." He noticed the wound that the girl had. "Besides, this girl is about to die anyway. There will be no loss. We'll simply patch up the wound and make her appear well."

"Do you think Lord Sesshoumaru will spare us if he sees the human sacrifice?"

"I hope so." This village lived in great fear. They only wanted to be safe and stay out of Sesshoumaru's wrath. Hopefully, this was the way. "For the sake of our village, I hope so."

To be continued...


	12. Chapter 12: Insult

Chapter 12

Sesshoumaru was just passing through. Actually, to be honest, he had caught the scent of some wolf demons: his next target. Unfortunately, they were pretty quick demons in general and had incredible senses. They can easily sense danger—like Sesshoumaru—and when they sense him, they know to run away. Sesshoumaru was hot on the trail of a few of them, but he was then distracted by an annoyance. "Do not even think of it, Myouga."

Certainly, Myouga was there and had jumped onto Sesshoumaru. Myouga hadn't drunk the blood of a dog demon in a long while. He was quite desperate. "Oh Lord Sesshoumaru, I would know much better than to suck your blood." He knew better, but he was going to try to get away with it.

"I'm not so patient as Inuyasha and my father. I'd simply kill you."

Myouga grew afraid while standing on Sesshoumaru's shoulders, but he tried to lie to save his life. "Well, I wouldn't suck your blood. I'd be a fool too! You know I just bother with Master Inuyasha."

"Indeed." Not that Sesshoumaru cared too much, but there had to be a reason to why Myouga appeared, especially since he was deathly afraid of Sesshoumaru. Myouga wouldn't come around unless there was a reason, and a rather important one at that. "Why have you come, Myouga?"

Myouga wanted to make this short and sweet and get the heck out of there. "Lord Sesshoumaru, the wolf demon tribe is about to make a swift attack against you." This wasn't much information to Sesshoumaru, nor did he care. Sesshoumaru would have to kill all of his enemies eventually. What did it matter if they lined up to be killed? Myouga knew Sesshoumaru felt that way, so he brought other information. "They plan to make a group attack against Master Inuyasha."

Sesshoumaru did care about that, unfortunately. He didn't tell himself that he cared, or anyone else. He couldn't even convince himself that he cared about anyone. "Inuyasha can take care of himself." That was mostly true, but not completely. He figured they were attacking Inuyasha for the Shikon Jewel. Sesshoumaru was used to that by now and so was Inuyasha. The problem was that the wolf demons were becoming more of a pest than Sesshoumaru originally anticipated. If the wolf demons managed to take the jewel and then get Inuyasha, he could be in trouble._ 'Inuyasha should be able to protect the jewel, but he is a fool.'_

"Where are you going, Lord Sesshoumaru?" Myouga saw that Sesshoumaru was heading straight towards a human village with no signs of turning the other way. "Uh...where are you going, Lord Sesshoumaru?"

Sesshoumaru didn't answer. As if Sesshoumaru would go the other way. He did as he pleased. Nothing would stop him and nothing could stop him. He certainly wasn't going to reroute because of some humans.

"He is coming!" yelled the head priest of the village. "Bring the girl." They were all cowardly people with many superstitions. They just mostly wanted to live to see another day. If the opportunity would arise that they needed to sacrifice someone that was just what had to be done. A complete stranger could especially be used. A demon slayer was even better.

"This will not work," stated one man in the priest's ear. "The girl does not look well."

The girl didn't look well. She had been poisoned severely and was soon to be dead. She knew nothing to treat it. Besides, she first tried to escape the villagers, but couldn't even do that. Now her arms were tied together, and even though she still could have escaped if she was healthy, she could not now. She had no strength. Besides, it was over for her anyway. There was no way she would be able to live.

It was over for her.

"The girl looks fine enough." They had covered her wound to deceive Sesshoumaru. Sacrifices were usually supposed to be healthy. They bathed her, perfumed her, put makeup on her, and even dressed her up in fine clothing. They hoped that she looked presentable enough, even though she was so weak. "We will have to pray that he accepts our gift."

Sesshoumaru saw the villagers there and it seemed that they were ready to greet him. Sesshoumaru thought it a bit odd and did not want to be bothered. By the looks of things, they seemed to wanting to give him something. Once he noticed what, he denied what his actual eyes saw. _'Surely they're not that foolish.'_

Myouga thought the same as well. _'Surely they're not that crazy...'_ There were no females gathered in the crowd of people. There were only males. The women must have fled for this occasion, while the men tried to gain Sesshoumaru's favor. In the center of the village, there was the only female present, but she was highly dressed lying on an alter. She had her hands tied together and her eyes blindfolded. She was shaking, but Sesshoumaru could tell that she wasn't shaking from fear...

The head priest bravely and foolishly decided to slowly approach Sesshoumaru. He was afraid to speak, especially seeing the great demon that had been conquering lands. There was no one strong enough to defeat him, or at least that's what everyone said. "G-great L-L-...Lord Sesshoumaru..."

"Move." was his frustrated answer. He was so insulted and wanted to leave. The humans would have a chance to redeem themselves, if only Sesshoumaru didn't hear what he knew they were going to say.

The priest jumped back in fear of Sesshoumaru, but he wished only to make him happy. "But Lord Sesshoumaru...we're prepared you a human sacrifice."

He just dug his own grave.

Sesshoumaru had never in his life be so insulted by such a thing. A human sacrifice? He only got a glance of the girl, but the mere thought revolted him. He didn't understand why demons would eat humans. If humans were food, that meant that demons depended on humans. The relationship was pathetic. Not only that, but Sesshoumaru didn't even like touching humans. Why would he like to put them in his mouth? They were disgusting, and apparently, too stupid to live.

It was sickening.

Besides the fact that eating humans disgusted him, he could smell the poison in her blood stream and the smell of blood from a wound. Interestingly enough, it was dog demon poison in her system. It was still very insulting to dare to give any demon a half dead human. Though her face was powdered and her lips were colored, Sesshoumaru could see through the scheme. She was dying.

How, insulting!

"And what would that human be for?" Sesshoumaru managed to get through his anger enough to actually say something. It was a chance for the human to redeem himself in some sort of manner. Sesshoumaru was of course still going to kill him, but he still had a chance to calm Sesshoumaru's nerves just a little bit.

He didn't.

"Well...if you wanted to eat her or...perhaps something else..."

Sesshoumaru narrowed his eyes in. He knew what "something else" meant. He knew that some demons actually did take humans and engaged in "something else" and that disgusted Sesshoumaru much more than just eating a human. "Human..." Sesshoumaru had one final question for him. "Do you eat insects?"

He feared for his life, and knew that it was going to end. He just knew..."N-n-no. But why?"

Sesshoumaru never answered him. He made his light whip appear and it cut him in half along with five other men. "Then why would you humans expect me too?" He ignored their cries of mercy, their pain, their torment. He just wanted them all dead. This wasn't about them being in the way. This wasn't about them being disgusting, or foolish. This was personal. They insulted what he was and what he did. As if he would ever want a human to eat or for "other purposes." For the mistake they made, they had to die.

All of them.

Except one.

He killed all of the men swiftly and gracefully. Only their bodies and pools of blood were left. The only one left alive was the girl._ 'A human sacrifice? Such fools they all were.'_

Myouga hadn't left Sesshoumaru's side yet and was too afraid to even move. He wanted to speak, but he knew Sesshoumaru would kill him. He had to say the right things, but he wasn't sure what that was. Myouga just decided to stay quiet.

On closer observation, Sesshoumaru could see the blood of the girl's wound beginning to seep through her clothing. The poison in her body was killing her and she would be dead if she didn't have some sort of help. "Interesting..." he spoke softly, even through his anger. Now that the humans were dead, there really wasn't anything to be upset about. They were gone, but she was still there. And she was interesting. The poison in her body belonged to a dog demon. Sesshoumaru knew of two dog demons in the area besides himself. Those two dog demons were Ziah and Inuyasha. Ziah's poison was much more dangerous than Inuyasha, meaning that this poison must have belonged to her._ 'Ziah attacked this girl and yet she's still alive.'_

It was indeed a mystery. Despite his anger and desire to wipe out the village, this one he simply could not kill. There were too many questions evolving from her. Besides, the villagers expected him to kill her. They wanted him too. He didn't like to do what was expected from him. It was settled.

When the young girl felt the touch of Sesshoumaru, she was a bit confused. She heard the screams of the men. She should have been dead already. Was possible that he was going to finish her off slow? Maybe that's what it was. If that was the truth, then she was prepared. She was a demon slayer. She wouldn't break so easily. But that wasn't really what he was planning at all. He lifted her up onto her feet and tried to help her stand. The girl couldn't stand though, so she collapsed onto his chest. She heard him grunt in discomfort, but there wasn't much she could do. She thought she had aggravated the all powerful Sesshoumaru enough to be killed now. She waited her fate, but the end didn't come. Instead, she felt the bonds on her hands loosened, and she was free. None of this made sense, unless he wanted some sort of challenge. But she highly doubted that he did. Instead of doom, he took off her blindfold to reveal her eyes.

Instead of her eyes being revealed, his beauty was. The evil Lord Sesshoumaru was so wonderful. His face was slender, yet masculine and she had never seen such beautiful hair from any man or demon. And his eyes! His eyes were so cold, but as she stared into his golden eyes, she knew that he had no intention of killing her. This did not seem like the face of an evil demon. To her, he was a god! She was absolutely breathless.

Sesshoumaru noticed with her chest pressed against his, her slowly giving out heartbeat had grown faster and her pale cheeks and began to brighten. "Human..."he grabbed a hold of her arms in an attempt to make her stand up for herself, so she wouldn't lean against him and he succeeded.

She thought he said something, but she wasn't sure. She couldn't hear anymore. She was even beginning to lose sight. She didn't want to lose sight though. She wanted to look at him. Even if she were to die, she still wanted to gaze upon him.

That wasn't to be though. Blood began to stream down her nose and she didn't even have the will or the strength to wipe it away. She tried to hold it together, but she began to throw up whatever was in her stomach. She fell to her knees and prayed for it to stop. She had lived her life training to defeat the demon standing before her, and now she would give anything just to find the strength to say "hello." She couldn't speak though. She didn't have the strength, or the knowledge how to. She hadn't spoken since she was eight.

Sesshoumaru was disgusted with her. He already hated humans and thought they were filthy, but now she was she was regurgitating. _'She's about to fade away.'_ The girl fell on her back and passed out immediately after that thought. Sesshoumaru should have simply let it go and let her die, but she couldn't. He was interested. "Myouga..."

Myouga nearly jumped out of his body. "Yes Sesshoumaru?" He was still frightened.

"Suck the poison out of this girl's body."

"What?" _'He wishes to save this girl's life?'_ Sesshoumaru glared at Myouga for questioning and then Myouga knew not to question and just to do. So Myouga rushed over to the girl and began to suck blood from her until he himself had gotten full and incredibly fat for a small flea.

Sesshoumaru realized after Myouga was done, that the girl would need more than that. There was a method he could follow to cure her of her poison. He of course hadn't ever "cured" someone, but he did know how to counter his own poison. He would have to give her a remedy. And while she rested, she would need shelter. That wasn't too much trouble, so he decided to go along with it. Besides, he was merely curious. Once his curiously dwindled away, the girl would go about on her own...or she would be killed. It all depended on why she was injured.

She must have been attacked by Ziah for some reason...

He picked her up and held the sick young girl in his arms. She was so weak, so fragile, and so pathetic. Whatever kind of quarrel could a weak girl have with Ziah, one of the strongest demons there was? _'I shall see.'_ He didn't know why he was quite so curious. But then again, he should know what his cohorts had been up to. He always checked up on Inuyasha. Why not see what Ziah was doing as well?

* * *

Ziah opened her eyes slowly to see her caretaker in front of her, watching patiently for her to get up. His face eased up and the tension left. Inuyasha was glad to see that she was alright. Though Ziah was upset that a human wounded her, she was more embarrassed than anything. "How long have I been out, Inuyasha?"

"Only from yesterday afternoon when you were attacked until this afternoon." He thought she'd still be steaming, but she looked so miserable. "How are you feeling?"

She was so ashamed. "I'm still in pain." The stench around her bothered her. "Where are we?"

"In a human castle."

"You're letting humans take care of me?" she asked angrily.

"No, they all ran away. I just figured I could stay here and take care of you until you got better."

"Oh..." She calmed down and sat up. "Then I suppose I owe you a thank you, Inuyasha."

"It was nothing."

"Alright, then I suppose I won't thank you."

He grunted at that. "Hey, I just patched you up and everything! I didn't actually mean not to thank me."

She chuckled a bit. "I know, and I never really intended on thanking you anyway." She felt well enough to stand, so she did and began to take off her kimono right in front of Inuyasha, but only the top part.

"What are you doing?" he asked with a nervous blush on his face.

"I doubt you've ever patched anyone up before. I was merely checking up on what you've done." She looked behind her to see him blushing, and thought it a bit strange. "You had to undress me already, Inuyasha. You patched up my wound." She observed what he did and thought it to be alright. "You did an okay job of it as well."

Inuyasha was blushing furiously. "Well I..." he turned to look the other way. "I figured you'd be mad when you found out that I..."

"What, saw me?" She covered herself back up, seeing how uncomfortable he was. "Little Inuyasha, there are many things you don't understand."

"...like what?"

"Like the fact that we're comrades." She began to approach even closer to Inuyasha. He felt a bit uncomfortable with her going up to him like that, but he didn't say anything. "Inuyasha, we are comrades, and even though I give you a lot of grief, you are a good companion."

"I am?" he questioned. He never thought he'd hear such things from her. _'She's actually acknowledging me?'_ "What's the catch?'

"There's no catch. I'm simply stating the truth. You're not that little half breed bother anymore. Sure you're not all powerful, but you are strong, and Sesshoumaru's trained you well." She placed her hands on his shoulders and stared into his eyes. "I know I messed up today, and you were right there to make things better, Inuyasha."

Inuyasha couldn't stop blushing. The look she was giving him was one he hadn't seen before. Whatever she was doing, she seemed to be aware of it, and aware that she was doing a good job. Inuyasha was falling for every line. "Well, like you said, we are comrades. What was I supposed to do? I couldn't let you die."

She smiled gently. "Thank you, Inuyasha." And that was when the catch came in. "Well, about today, or rather yesterday..." She got a little bit closer, so close that her nose was almost touching Inuyasha's. "...could you please not tell your brother about all this?"

He grunted. "Sesshoumaru?"

She gave a nod.

He felt angry about this. He didn't know why, but he did. "Oh, this is about my brother..." He took her arms off him and she backed away. "Well..." He didn't know why he was so upset with her all of the sudden. "I guess I won't tell him about this."

"Good!" She sighed in relief. "I would be so embarrassed if he knew I was wounded by that human." Her usual demeanor returned. "My only regret is that you killed that human instead of me."

Inuyasha looked the other way. "Well...I..."

"What?" She nearly barked at Inuyasha. "You're telling me that you didn't kill the slayer? What's wrong with you?"

"You were hurt!" he yelled back. "I didn't even know if you were going to live! Besides, they won't be able to survive with that poison in their system!"

She calmed down a bit with that. "I guess you're right, Inuyasha." At least she would be killing her...slowly. Oh it gave her such joy! "I'm glad that she's dead. I can't even believe that a human was that skilled." Through her frustration, she was able to smile. "Well, at least she's dead."

It eased Inuyasha to see that she was back to normal. The way she was acting towards him made him feel uncomfortable, but not awful. He couldn't quite explain it. He was a bit attracted to her, he had to admit, but it wasn't just the way she looked. He was being...seduced! That was the word he was looking for.

_'And all so I wouldn't tell Sesshoumaru?'_ It was about Sesshoumaru, though. It was always about Sesshoumaru! She just wanted to look good in Sesshoumaru's eyes. That's what she cared about. That for some reason, angered Inuyasha, though he knew he did not particularly like Ziah.

That was the first time Inuyasha was jealous of his brother.

And it wouldn't be the last...

To be continued...


	13. Chapter 13: Interesting Girl

Chapter 13

I don't own Inuyasha

Kohaku, a young man from a demon slayer village, couldn't help but pace back and forth across his sister's room. He tried to be focused, but his eyes were filled with such fear. He didn't know what to do. He did know that he was angry, especially with the two in front of him. "You let her go alone?"

"Kohaku..." his sister Sango tried to calm her brother down, but she couldn't blame him for being upset. "I know that you are worried, but—"

"But you two are supposed to make sure we don't go off like that! She shouldn't have been alone." It was none of his business, but he was too angry not to bring it up. "But you two were busy lying in bed together..."

"Kohaku, that's enough!" his sister yelled. That was enough to get him to calm down. Kohaku didn't usually burst out like that. He was just upset. He cared for that girl and now he didn't know where she was. "I am sorry Sango; it's just that I..."

Miroku could understand how the boy felt. He placed his arm around Kohaku and started to comfort him. "I know that you are upset about Rin. She is however a well capable demon slayer. She's the best Sango's ever seen. She shows no signs of fear or remorse. She's quiet and no one else can sneak around like she can. She's smart and she'll have many tricks to survive."

Kohaku tried to feel better with that, but how could he? "But...Kirara tried to follow Rin's scent as much as possible. She caught a whiff of it on the way to a village once she left the forest where the demons were. I..." He didn't know what to do. "I went there and the whole village was slaughtered. I couldn't find Rin's body, but I didn't find any bodies of women and children. But I do know that Rin was there, because I found her weapons hidden away. There were only men slaughtered though, and whoever did it was very skilled."

"I see..." Miroku let Kohaku go and began to stroke his chin as he thought to himself. "Well, we'll send out a search party for Rin. Of course, I'll go."

"And so shall I," added Sango. "She's one of us and we can't leave her to die." She smiled. "We know how you feel about her, Kohaku, and we wouldn't let anything happen to her."

Kohaku was happy to know that and he smiled a kind and small smile. "Thank you." But he did feel bad about what he said earlier. "And I'm sorry that I said those things about the two of you."

Miroku thought Kohaku old enough to know the truth. "Well, we are together."

Sango blushed and knocked Miroku upside his head. "Don't tell my brother such things!"

Miroku rubbed his throbbing head and smiled. "Well, I think he should know."

"I already knew," said Kohaku. "And I'm aware that you two have noble intentions, but you've been together like that a few times before." Kohaku wasn't as bothered as he used to be. "I think you two should just go ahead and forget about the war. Just go ahead and get married. You two have tried to wait long enough, but it won't matter if Sango ends up pregnant."

Miroku smiled and grabbed a hold of Sango, a bit lustfully. "He speaks with much wisdom, Sango my dear."

"Not in front of my brother!" She pushed him off of her. "And we appreciate your advice, but we really shouldn't be planning a wedding at a time like this. We should be finding Rin."

Kohaku calmed down a bit with that. He knew deep down that she was alive and in good hands somewhere. He just wanted to get back to her and tell her how he felt before it was too late.

* * *

When the young girl opened her eyes, she thought for sure that she was in the Netherworld. It made no sense for her to be alive. She was sick and dying. Her body couldn't heal her sickness. There was no way...

Yet when she opened her eyes, she saw Him. It was that evil demon Lord Sesshoumaru. He was the demon that she was fighting against, but for some reason, he was sitting at her side patiently, as if he was waiting to see if she was alright. He was so beautiful. Everything about the way he looked was wonderful. He was supposed to be an evil demon, and yet he seemed to be her savoir.

The look on his face was unreadable. He didn't seem pleased or disappointed. He wasn't happy, nor was he sad. He wasn't even surprised she was awake, or seemed to even care. But he did apparently care. He didn't waste much time in saying one sentence to her, which made her question everything. "Congratulations human, you're alive."

He didn't speak with a sarcastic tone, so she wasn't sure what to make of it. Was he impressed? Rin then remembered the look in his eyes. He wasn't going to kill her. He was interested in her.

Sesshoumaru expected that she would say something, like question whether she really was alive or scream in terror. But she did neither. She didn't speak at all, which he expected she would. "Human..." She didn't say anything in response. Her eyes seemed saddened though. It was like she was saddened that she couldn't respond. _'Perhaps this human cannot speak.' _"Woman, what is your name?"

He was interested in her! She had never met a demon that was actually interested in her. It was exciting, but she hadn't spoken since she was very young. She wasn't quite sure if she knew how to talk anymore. Regardless of that fact though, she needed to try. She wanted to know if she could speak to him. She opened her mouth and paused for a moment. She started and was afraid of not finishing. But finally, she decided to take a risk. "Rin..." It was a whisper, given with all the volume she could produce right then and there, but she said it. She didn't want to upset this demon.

"Rin?" It was rather a statement than a question, but Rin nodded anyway. He noticed that her voice was unnaturally quiet, but with his powerful ears, he could still hear her. Her voice was weak, which made her seem weak and fragile. From that point, he slowly began to underestimate her. What could a weak human girl like her be? But still, even with those thoughts, he grew a bit more curious to why she wasn't dead.

Now that Rin knew she could actually speak, she wasn't ready to stop. She hadn't spoken in years and she knew that he could hear her, so she continued on. "Thank you..." She couldn't control the smile that bloomed onto her face after her gratitude escaped her lips.

_'And what is she smiling for?'_ It occurred to him that she was thankful and she and she unfortunately thought that he was her savior. "Do not thank me yet, human."

She was a bit surprised and suddenly afraid. She hadn't been afraid of any demon in some years. Not even the tale of Sesshoumaru's might had frightened her. But she didn't know whether she was afraid because he might kill her, or rather that he was disappointed with her. "You saved me..." she said with a still quiet voice. "Why did you save me...if you were going to kill me?"

"Woman," he said with a bit of disgust towards her, "I didn't keep you alive because I wanted to. I merely was curious to why you were injured in the first place."

Rin had to be careful not to sweat in his presence. He could probably pick up the smell in an instant and then would see the nervous look in her eye. She was trained to do the same and he was a demon. He would know that she was up to no good. Rin had to plan and think of some sort of excuse. She couldn't let him know of her true nature. He would kill her and she didn't want to die, at least not by his hand. "I was injured by a demon."

Sesshoumaru noticed her hesitation and her over obvious answer. It led him to be a bit more curious to what she was hiding. Though the truth would have gotten her killed, his questions were what kept her alive so far. "I'm aware that you were attacked by a demon. You were merely scratched, but the poison nearly killed you. I'm familiar with the poison because I myself can produce such a thing." He knew that it specifically had to be Ziah's poison. "If you were attacked by a dog demon like myself, then a mere human like you shouldn't have been able to escape the battle with your life."

If only she was a mere human. Rin was the best at what she did. Sango taught her everything she knew. Rin had been traumatized as a young girl, so that had left her mute, so she never made any sound at all. She even silenced herself so she wouldn't make a sound when she was injured. Her infiltrating skills far surpassed any other demon slayers. She was also alone, so she would take risks because she had nothing to lose and no one to lose. And despite her small size, she was very strong. She was the perfect warrior, as perfect as any human could be. Many demons had been slain by her hand and she knew that if Sesshoumaru learned that she has truly his enemy, he could destroy her. "I fought with her a little and then I ran away afraid."

"And you managed to escape with your life?"

She nodded without hesitation. "I thought she would come to my village and attack us. Since I have no family, I decided to try, even if I would sacrifice myself. I didn't manage to do anything and she barely scratched me and I was defeated."

Sesshoumaru felt that there was something wrong with that story, but he didn't press it. "Well, you should have known that you were no match for a demon." He did admire her bravery, though he thought she was a fool.

Slowly but surely, Rin knew that her vocal cords would get stronger. She had to say something else. "I know I shouldn't have tried. I have heard that you dog demons are very powerful." She hoped that she was getting on his good side. She didn't seem to be having any effect on his heart though.

Still, something bothered Sesshoumaru. "And your village decided to repay your act of bravery by offering you up to me?"

"No, that was not my village." She herself spoke with such disgust. She really did hate those people for doing something so horrible. She was a stranger who needed help and they offered her into the arms of Death. "I staggered there in pain hoping to find help, but I found desperate people. They managed to take me and dress me as your human sacrifice and I was too weak to escape." She sighed. "Besides, I thought I was going to die anyway. There was no point in fighting back."

"I see." She certainly was an interesting case. It still seemed odd that she managed to escape or even fight off the poison for as long as she did. Ziah despised humans. She wouldn't have let a human who attacked her go free. There was something odd about it. There was something odd about her.

"You destroyed all the humans in the village and then you decided not to kill me."

He was very quick to comment. "They expected me to eat you. I wouldn't eat something so disgusting. Nor would I use you for any other purposes."

She didn't know whether she should be happy for that or a bit offended. "So...you killed them for insulting you?" She didn't need him to answer. It was obvious that was what happened. "I understand..." and she did. For some reason, she wasn't very sad. Perhaps it was because they turned their backs on her. They all didn't really deserve to die, but she wasn't very sad for them. Perhaps it was because Sesshoumaru killed them. For some reason, she couldn't seem to tell herself that he was an evil demon. He was her savior, and though it seemed that he had his own special reasons, she couldn't get over the fact that he saved her.

And the fact that he was so handsome...

_'She doesn't mourn the humans. She doesn't even seem to care that I killed them all.'_ She was a rather interesting girl. She didn't seem to be one of _them_. She was different somehow. It was as if she separated herself from the rest of the humans. She was clearly a human, her mannerisms seemed to be just like any other human, but she was different.

"So, what do you wish to do with me?" She sat up in her bed and stared into his eyes, hoping for some sort of answer. "Well my Lord, I am technically yours to do with as you please. Whether you wish for me to live or die is in your hands-only yours-and I accept that." And she meant every word. "Let your will be done."

She held great respect for him. She really wasn't like all the other humans. Usually, they were all like insects. If they were in his way, he would kill them. If they were out of sight, he would not seek them out. He would simply let them be. But she was in sight, but she wasn't in the way. If he was to take over the very world, she might not even object. She complied with the fact that she was now his. So the question was what do you do with an insect who thinks you're a god? Should he let her worship him? "You may do as you wish, woman."

She was a bit shocked at what he had said. "What do you mean, Lord Sesshoumaru?"

"Your life is yours. Do as you see fit. Why would I want a human sacrifice? You would serve no purpose to me. You are to leave when you are well and able."

In all honesty, she was a bit hurt by what he had spoken. "But..." he was done speaking so he got up off of his knees to leave her, but she wouldn't let him leave. "But I can be worth something..." She pulled her covers off of her and tried to stand, but she didn't yet have the strength. She fell on her knees and hands. "But Lord Sesshoumaru, I have no where else to go…"

That wasn't his problem. "You said you attacked a demon in order to save your village. What of them? They no longer have value to you?"

She hadn't even really thought of them. Sango, Miroku, Kohaku, and Kirara were her friends. She would die in order to protect them, but she was throwing it all away. She was throwing them all away for an evil demon? Should she? How could she? "Lord Sesshoumaru..." she managed to raise her voice, just a little bit more. "I owe you my life and if it would please you, I will serve you." She could feel tears falling from her eyes and she didn't know why. "I was willing to sacrifice my life for my friends, but I have never been truly able to connect with anyone." She didn't know why she was pouring her heart out to this demon. She was never able to tell anyone else of her tale because she could not speak. Not even Kohaku knew what she was about to say. "My parents and brothers were killed by bandits. I had to hide and watch as they were slain. Ever since then, I have not been able to keep myself happy around my kind." She hadn't realized any of her confession beforehand. She didn't know the things she was saying until that moment. "Demons have never scared me...it was evil humans that scared me the most..."

She was a bit pathetic. So many tears fell from her eyes. Was she actually begging to stay with him? That was odd enough. "You wish to stay?" When she nodded and wiped her eyes, he asked himself why he even entertained the thought of actually letting her stay. _'She seems to secretly despise her own kind.'_ In a way, she reminded him of when he first met Inuyasha. He was grieving and missed his mother. The more he talked; he realized that he hated humans. Though time to time Inuyasha proved that he did not hate all humans, particularly the females, Sesshoumaru thought it was interesting. Inuyasha's distaste for humans and disregard to his humanity was what made him tolerable. "You're a human. You won't ever be a demon. You'll always be a weak, human, woman. You can never disregard your humanity."

He made his point rather clear, but she wasn't ready to let it go. She said one more thing before he managed to walk away, that managed to change his mind. "You saved me. For whatever reasons you had, you showed me mercy. I have been taught my whole life that humans are good and demons are bad. But I have seen the evils of both demons and especially humans. I don't honestly know what I can do anymore. I don't know how humans and demons are supposed to be." He changed everything when he saved her. And since he was not the evil demon she expected him to be, she no longer wished to fight. _'How could I fight you?'_ She found the strength to stand on her feet. "So please show me what the difference is, Lord Sesshoumaru." She couldn't stand for long and she dropped to her knees once again. "I can prove me worth..."

She really was an interesting girl. She wanted to deliver herself from her humanity? Sesshoumaru didn't honestly have a problem doing that, if he could manage to get past her awful human stench. "Human, if you can prove your worth, then you can stay."

She couldn't stop the smile from making a full bloom to her face. For some reason, she just wanted to be with him. "I swear I will not disappoint you Lord Sesshoumaru."

She just had to make sure that he didn't find out the truth about what she did...

* * *

"Okay..." Kohaku was geared up and ready to go with eight other demon slayers, including Miroku and his sister Sango. "We have to bring back Rin, no matter what."

"Of course," Miroku stated.

Sango agreed and was just as determined as Kohaku. "She's a fellow demon slayer. She's one of us."

To be continued...


	14. Chapter 14: Ward

Chapter 14

I do not own Inuyasha

Rin was still weak and bundled herself up with a comfortable blanket. It was rare that she allowed herself to relax so much, but she felt incredibly safe in Sesshoumaru's presence. It was odd considering that he was a demon, her sworn enemy. Perhaps it was because she had allied herself with him and no other demon would be a threat.

Sesshoumaru was watching through her slightly cracked open door. She was certainly an odd one. He was a very busy demon, but he had been quite bored as of lately. He hadn't had much of a challenge. Solving a mystery was a nice change of pace. _'How is it possible that she was able to escape from Ziah's grasp?'_

"Lord Sesshoumaru?" Rin rose up. She should have continued to rest, but she was so used to sensing demons and being ready to attack that she just didn't think about it.

'_I didn't make a noise, yet she noticed me. She must be able to sense demonic aura.' _"Rin," he entered into her room, glaring at her slightly.

"Yes, my lord?"

"Do you possess spiritual powers?"

'_Is he onto me?' _Rin thought carefully. She did not wish to lie to Sesshoumaru, but she had to keep alive somehow. "Not really, my lord. It's very minuscule, just enough to sense auras."

"I see..." _'There's something more to this girl. I can't quite fathom it, but she's different. She's weak, fragile, disgusting, but different.'_

"I must admit that I am a bit concerned, my lord."

"Concerned for what? If I were going to waste my time killing you, you'd already be dead."

"I trust you, my lord. I even feel safe around you."

"Safe?" _'Why would this human feel safe around me? I could easily crush her. Certainly she must know of my reputation.' _It was completely foreign to him. Of course his younger brother depended on him for safety and his comrades knew that they had a great chance at surviving while he was in battle next to them, but it was too odd hearing it from a human.

"It's the demon who attacked me who I fear." _'Ziah and Inuyasha are sure to return. I believe I was able to mask my identity well enough, but they are superior demons. They may be able to somehow recognize me.'_ "One was a woman. The other was a demon who looked very much like you."

"They are my allies."

She tried to appear afraid, which was difficult for her. "Do you think they will finish me off?"

"I will not let any harm come to you unless I have reason for you to be killed. They will obey my orders."

'_That's good to know.'_ "Thank you, my lord."

It was even odd that she would speak so highly of him. Of course he had subjects that adored him, but she was a human who worshiped him. "And you are comfortable abandoning humanity for me?"

"I'm not abandoning them, my lord. We are not your enemies."

"All those who defy me are my enemies."

"We only wish to live and to be free. If you are superior to us and want to rule these lands, fine. We could accept that, as long as we are free to live our lives the way we wish to. If there were no demon wars destroying our lands, I believe we'd be much happier."

"And what makes you think I have any interest in your precious freedom?"

"I don't think you have any interest in us at all. Correct me if I'm wrong, but as long as we don't stand in your way, we get to live."

"You're not wrong."

"That's an interesting way of saying 'I'm right', my lord." She smiled. _'I could probably do more good to my village at his right hand than in his path. I must stay by his side.'_

Sesshoumaru could smell Jaken close by. He was in the castle. Sesshoumaru could already picture Jaken's overreaction of Rin's presence and it already annoyed him. He didn't warn Rin or brace himself. He stayed there and Jaken burst through the doors yelling, "Lord Sesshoumaru!"

But Jaken was distracted by the human girl lying in a bed and his lord watching over her. Jaken's eyes got big and his mouth dropped. "Lord Sesshoumaru!"

Sesshoumaru acted quickly and stepped on his head. "Don't be foolish, Jaken."

Jaken attempted to find a way to breathe with his lord crushing his lungs. "I'm so sorry, my lord!"

Sesshoumaru removed his foot, though he was still revolted by what he knew Jaken was thinking.

Jaken struggled to rise and he brushed himself off. "Is this another one of Inuyasha's pets?"

"I'm not a pet, little demon," Rin said while glaring. She might have been young, but she was disrespected very rarely ever since she became a fearsome demon slayer. "You should be more respectful."

"Don't speak to me that way, human!"

"Quiet, Jaken." Sesshoumaru found Jaken most annoying . He didn't understand why he let him live for so long.

"My lord?" Rin asked.

"My lord?" Jaken cried with unbelief.

Sesshoumaru's foot made a violent impact with Jaken's head again. Rin actually thought it was quite humerus of Sesshoumaru. Yes, it was quite barbaric for someone as graceful and poise as he, but she believed he had a bit of a humorous side, despite never smiling. "What is it?" he asked Rin.

"I am hungry and I should eat if I am to properly recover. Do you know if there is anything in the castle for me to fetch?"

"Jaken will bring you something." Sesshoumaru could hear the muffled cries of Jaken as he began to complain, so he crushed his head even further. "There's no sense in you dying while searching for food. It would waste my generosity."

"Thank you, my lord." She bowed her head in respect and laid back down as Sesshoumaru left her alone.

Jaken was still twitching on the ground. He didn't understand what was happening with his lord. _'He's taken on a human as his ward? What could have changed him?' _

Rin thought it was strange that Sesshoumaru was so interested in her. _'He is probably onto me.' _But there must have been a little more to it than that. He was caring for her and having his minion take care of her as well. _'Why would he do that if he was merely interested in my background? It's not like he's asking me directly what he wants to know. Does he plan on trapping me in a lie? It seems like an awful lot of trouble for a demon lord.'_

Whatever the case, Rin was going to be very careful hiding her identity. _'He certainly wouldn't take kind to the idea, especially if he thought I was going to try and kill him. It would be insane, but not too insane for I, the greatest demon slayer in all the land.'_

* * *

As Inuyasha continued to travel with Ziah, he kept noticing something odd about her, yet he couldn't put his finger on it. Nothing had really seemed to change as far as her appearance. She was still the beautiful warrior. It was odd that he thought she was beautiful. Well, it wasn't really that odd. He thought she was beautiful when he first laid eyes on her, but she was entirely too old and she was his brother's girl.

Inuyasha never did understand their relationship. Ziah did enjoy power, so it wasn't that farfetched that she wanted to be the queen of the entire world and patiently waited at Sesshoumaru's side for that reason alone, but he knew better. She adored Sesshoumaru and on some level, Inuyasha knew that his brother did feel that way for Ziah. He might have been cold and very distracted by his ambition, but Inuyasha knew his brother well enough to know that he possessed feelings for their female comrade. She was like his property and if any other demon where to try and claim her, they would most likely end up dead.

Still, it seemed utterly insane that Ziah would go along with everything Sesshoumaru said or did. Inuyasha was obedient to his brother, but why would Ziah wait for Sesshoumaru endlessly when he ignored her feelings so? It must have been terrible for a woman. "Let me ask you a question."

She smiled. "You did unfortunately save my life. I suppose I owe you a question."

Inuyasha enjoyed her not being so cruel to him. It was a pleasure, considering that she was only ever pleasant to Sesshoumaru. "Why do you love my brother?"

She was walking a few steps ahead of Inuyasha and came to a halt in surprise and confusion. "Why wouldn't I?" She laughed at the absurdity of his question.

"Because he constantly rejects you." Inuyasha didn't mean for his retort to be cruel. He was surprised that Ziah didn't yell or attack him, only looked dumbfounded and had no reasonable response. It was simply the truth. They both had to accept it. "Now answer my question."

Though Inuyasha's words stung, she answered quickly. "He is the bravest creature in this world. He's powerful beyond belief. He's incredibly handsome. His bold, he's graceful, he's dashing, he's–"

"Cruel and uncaring."

"He's the perfect warrior. Cunning and devious–"

"Doesn't show any signs of being a good father."

She was once again dumbfounded by Inuyasha and his odd behavior. "He raised you for two hundred years. Does that mean nothing?"

"No. It means something..." Inuyasha was acting irrational. No, he didn't understand why Ziah and so many fawned over Sesshoumaru. The power explanation made sense. His brother's physical attributes was also reasonable. But for any woman with any bit of maternal instinct, they should have been worried over Sesshoumaru's complete lack of compassion. Sure Sesshoumaru always saved Inuyasha from stronger demons that he couldn't fend off on his own while he was so young, but Inuyasha had also woken up to find Sesshoumaru about to run a sword straight through him for holding onto memories of his dead mother. But Inuyasha doubted that he would have been alive without his brother's help. Perhaps he was being unreasonable.

"Then what is the matter with you?" Ziah asked, beginning to get angry.

"Nothing. I was merely curious."

She narrowed her eyes in on Inuyasha and poked him hard in the chest. "If I didn't know any better, I'd say you're jealous and bitter."

"Oh please!" he barked.

"Look, I know you and your brother have a special relationship that I can never understand or see, but respect that we share a relationship that you also cannot comprehend."

Inuyasha rolled his eyes. He didn't understand how Ziah could wait a millennium for Sesshoumaru. To him, it just wouldn't have been worth it.

Ziah couldn't read Inuyasha's mind, but she felt like she could by watching his expressions. She grew sad, but she couldn't give up hope. "He was so much different when he was younger."

Inuyasha's curiosity was piqued. "Different how?"

Ziah smiled, remembering how adorable her lord was and how often he used to smile and even laugh. "He worshiped your father, tried to shadow every footstep, but he wasn't strong enough to always follow. Back then, his dreams of power were almost innocent. It was something he aspired to because he loved his father. I clung onto his goodness."

"That doesn't sound like Sesshoumaru."

"Well, he was a spoiled brat." She chuckled at the thought of all of their shenanigans. "His mother made him so, but we used to have so much fun together exploring the lands. He liked me the best out of all of the girls because I could keep up with him. We weren't afraid of anything!" She outstretched her arms and spun around, captivated by all of her fond memories. She was acting so bright and cheery that it was unusual to Inuyasha. It was unusual to her, but that's how her lord truly made her feel: incredibly happy. "He told me that I would be his bride one day. We even had our romance, moments of intimacy."

Inuyasha couldn't imagine it at all. It was disgusting to imagine his brother and Ziah kissing or holding each other. He couldn't even imagine him being kind. Sesshoumaru was capable of showing mercy occasionally and he would have moments that looked like compassion that were truly plots filled with an agenda, but he was not kind. Ever. "Then what changed?"

Her excitement ceased and her dance of ecstacy came to an end as she began to realize what had happened to her beloved. "He got older, became distant. He wanted to do so much on his own, because his father was such a powerful warrior. We had a mutual friend who died protecting his woman. Sesshoumaru believed it was his fault for not being strong enough to protect her, but then began to decide that women were a distraction all together."

Inuyasha didn't buy it. Ziah was obviously powerful enough to take care of herself. Inuyasha couldn't keep count of all the times she had saved his life. "Do you really think that's an acceptable reason as to why he ignores you and your feelings?"

"No." She sighed, not really wanting to tell Inuyasha her true thoughts. "A lot has to do with his father's affair with your mother, though."

Inuyasha was surprised. He had never heard anyone really mention it before. It was as if it were forbidden. "What do you mean?"

"Well, what sort of child wouldn't be angry that their father had an affair? Then imagine that this child is demon royalty and the other woman was only a mere mortal. He still respected your father for his power, but I would say their relationship was somewhat estranged. Your father was very good to Sesshoumaru, but it seemed after this ordeal that he forgot all of the good times they shared and saw him as a challenge to defeat one day."

Inuyasha's shoulders began to slowly slump. He hadn't really thought much of his father in a negative light. No one portrayed him negatively–especially not Sesshoumaru–and he never thought his mother as a mistress.

"I don't believe the affair bothered anyone as much as it did Sesshoumaru," Ziah said. "Even his mother got over it fairly easily, even let your father return to her bedside. Sure your mother was his lover, but he still had his true love, his mate who produced his true heir to his legacy."

Inuyasha smiled amused, perhaps to mask his shame. "A real two-timer, huh?"

Ziah knew Inuyasha enough to know how he felt. "Hey, chin up!" She nicked his chin to make him raise his head. "I believe he did care for your mother, Inuyasha. Don't think that he didn't. After all, Tetsusaiga was created to be the guardian of man so he could protect her. He did already wield Sounga, which was much more powerful than both the swords from his own fang. He was a man of honor and always did what his honor made him feel required for. He impregnated a human and even though he was terribly wounded from a battle, he decided to save this woman he cared for and his half-breed son."

She sighed sadly. "Of course Sesshoumaru lost his father as a result. As far as grief, all he will admit to is that he never got to challenge his father who had ultimate power. I suppose he felt cheated out of his destiny and blamed it on you and your mother. This bore his unusual hatred for humans."

"Most demons hate humans."

"We think of them as nothing or some of us think of them as a meal or slaves or sacrifices. Sesshoumaru detests them. His mother doesn't even detest them. I think I only detest them so much because of him."

Sesshoumaru did treat Inuyasha better than most of his minions or so-called friends, but he could sometimes sense the resentment. "Do you think Sesshoumaru still blames me for father's death?"

"Perhaps." Ziah did sympathize with Inuyasha, but she felt he was owed the truth. "By wielding the Tetsusaiga, he has his father's power, but I still don't believe he thinks he is as powerful. I suppose the question of who is truly the strongest shall always weigh on his mind."

Inuyasha had many talks with Ziah, but none quite like what he was experiencing. She was being so odd. "Why are you being so nice to me?"

"I am grateful for how you took care of me."

He slightly glared suspiciously. "You're scared that I'll tell my brother."

"You already said you wouldn't. I expect that your word is your bond, Inuyasha. I also meant what I said about us being comrades. It's unfortunate that this is true, but you're actually the closest resemblance to a friend that I have."

He laughed. "That is sad!"

She rolled her eyes, but she still continued to smile. "But why are you acting so concerned for my well-being?"

"I don't know. Like you said–"

"–You're jealous and bitter."

"That's not what I was going to say!" he barked angrily.

"Inuyasha..." She knew what she was doing when she tried to seduce Inuyasha. She knew he thought she was beautiful, but that was only because she knew she was quite beautiful. It wasn't unusual for her to have admirers, but not Inuyasha. There would be nothing but consequences for him. "I hope you're not developing feelings towards me."

"Of course I'm not!" Inuyasha was upset, but had a hard time gathering up enough anger for a good insult. "Something's obviously wrong with your brain!"

"Because if you are, you're going to be disappointed." Ziah wouldn't let him try to brush it off. She needed him to know the severity of the situation. She placed her hands on his chest and begged him as she looked into his eyes. "I told Sesshoumaru that I would wait for him forever if I had to. I'll stand by his side and support him as a comrade, but I do expect to be his queen one day. Nothing will stand in my way, not even you."

Inuyasha wasn't about to blurt out that he felt nothing towards her, but he was very attracted to her, and rightly so. She had saved his skin more times than he cared to count. Honestly, she was the closest thing to a friend he had too. _'What is wrong with me?'_ He couldn't shake the feelings he was starting to have for her, even though he knew how wrong it was. She belonged to his brother.

But she knew those things! Why was she acting so nice if she didn't want him at all? "Then why were you attempting to seduce me earlier? Women don't seduce men they have no feelings towards."

That made her laugh, almost maniacally. "You don't know a thing about women, do you?" Inuyasha didn't have a comeback and she patted him on the chest playfully before beginning to walk away from him. "Do yourself a favor and get over me. Please."

It really pissed him off that she would just toy with him to manipulate him into making her look good in Sesshoumaru's eyes. It really pissed him off that she thought of him as the little brother and that she would probably always feel that way. It was ridiculous that he kind of liked her, considering how she always treated him. "Why would I have feelings for an old hag like you?"

She shooed him away with the back of her hand. "Why don't you go find another human to amuse yourself with?"

He grumbled. _'I don't know what's wrong with me anyway!'_ "I'd be better off with a human."

Ziah stopped. "Shut up, Inuyasha!"

"You're really that offended?" Inuyasha didn't believe that would get to her, but he was willing to take whatever victory he could get.

"No, Inuyasha! We're under attack."

Inuyasha hadn't sensed anything, but that didn't mean Ziah was wrong. He wasn't quite as in tuned as she was. He stopped and breathed in the scent of the air. There was something off in the distance, something that he recognized. By the time he could hear and feel the treading of hundreds of feet approaching, the scent was unmistakable. "Wolves."

"We have to run."

"Run?" Inuyasha had never run from a battle. "Sesshoumaru would never!"

"Sesshoumaru has the Tetsusaiga and we do not!"

Perhaps that was the reason why Inuyasha had never run from a battle. His brother was always with him. Just as Sesshoumaru depended on his father's fang for strength, Inuyasha depended much too heavily on his brother for the same. If he was to one day stand up and be his own demon, then he needed to rise above what they all expected of him. "I'm fighting."

Ziah had no time for patience. She rushed to Inuyasha and punched him in the face hard enough to knock him off his feet. "You can't even transform, Inuyasha! If you stay, you will die."

Inuyasha's first reaction was to curse at Ziah, but he needed every second to prepare for what he knew was coming. "If you're that afraid, then go save yourself." He wiped the blood from his face and stood back up on his feet as stupid and cocky as ever. "But I'm sure my brother will be upset once he figures out why you abandoned me."

She glared and wanted to strike him, but could sense the demonic presence of the oncoming onslaught of demons. "I hate you right now."

"Yeah, yeah, yeah!" Inuyasha began to crack his knuckles. He foolishly told himself that he was ready for the approaching battle. If he could stand against the wolves, then he knew he would be able to say that he stood apart from Sesshoumaru. Breaking his dependence was the first true step on the road to surpassing his brother.

"There's one ahead of the rest. I presume it's their leader. If we kill him quickly, then we'll have a better chance at surviving. They might all stand down without him."

The wolf demon came and in a quick flash, trailing a wake of dirt behind him. He was fast, extremely fast for a regular demon and he was quite handsome. He had eyes as blue as the morning sky and hair as dark as the night. If it weren't for his disgusting wolf scent that Ziah had come to loath, she would have been very attracted to him, especially when he smirked. "My name is Kouga, leader of he wolf tribe and I've come for the jewel, mutts."

"Mutts?" Ziah cocked her brow. "You'll regret your choice of words when you're choking on your own blood."

"Not likely." He raised his right hand, revealing some sort of device that consisted of metal claws.

"What happened, wolf?" Inuyasha asked. "Did you break a nail?"

"Your brother may have a powerful sword, but he's not the strongest demon in all the land." The metal claws began to glow and engulfed Kouga's hand in a very powerful energy. "I am."

_'Something is wrong.'_ Ziah was observant. She didn't recognize the type of weapon Kouga possessed, but she sensed how dangerous it was.

Inuyasha however, was brash and brave and didn't care about such things. "Bring it on!"

As Inuyasha charged at Kouga, Ziah ran to stop him. "Inuyasha!"

* * *

Jaken had found Rin some fruit and vegetables. There were more items stored away in the house, but he didn't know how to make human food and he had no intention of learning for some mortal girl that his lord had picked up like a stray animal. She wasn't his pet and he certainly didn't apperciate how Rin patted him on the head like he was one. "Good, Jaken."

"Do not patronize me, human! I am a powerful warrior, Master Jaken."

"Master Jaken?" she asked amused. "My only master is Lord Sesshoumaru. You're just his minion, the same as I."

"We are not the same, child!" Jaken closed his eyes and shook his arms and legs from rage. "You should fear me!"

"Fear a little toad? I think not." Rin knew better. She should have been kind to Jaken and respected him to prove how humble and defenseless she was, but it was incredibly difficult knowing how many big and powerful demons she had slain. Jaken was hardly worth bickering with.

Rin finished her meal. It wasn't great, but it was satisfying for the time being. She felt much stronger after eating and getting plenty of rest. She raised to her feet and walked over to some sliding doors behind her. She opened them up and walked out onto a balcony to overlook the valley below. Never would she have thought she would find herself staying in a castle. She used to live in a small hut surrounded by villagers who beat her for unreasonable reasons. She had a nice home in her village of demon slayers, but she still felt alone. Now a demon lord had taken her in. Her life certainly was strange.

_'Who is this girl?'_ Jaken thought. _'I don't trust her at all!'_ "You should leave here, girl."

"I think not, little demon." Rin knew the dangers of staying. Her identity might have been compromised very soon, but she had to stay with Sesshoumaru. There was something enchanting about him and she didn't know how to break free of the spell that was placed on her heart. "I am Lord Sesshoumaru's ward now."

Jaken became so infuriated! He knew how much his lord truly despised humans and how much trouble Inuyasha had gotten into for falling into their trap. There might have been a beating involved if he hurt Rin, but he didn't put much thought into his punishment. Before he knew it, he was gripping onto his Staff of Two heads, preparing to burn her alive.

Rin heard the sound of the staff hitting the floor and she reacted quickly without much thought. Dealing with so many demons had given her almost a sixth sense for danger and she dodged the flames effortlessly, dove across the room, and flipped back behind Jaken before he could finish blinking. "That wasn't very wise, demon!"

Jaken gasped. "But how did you–"

Rin wasted no time and grabbed the staff from Jaken and swung it back. "Believe me, you deserve this!"

Jaken's screams echoed across the land as he was sent flying through the window. He wasn't certain if he would live while he soared through the air, but he promised to make the girl pay if he were to survive. "Cursed girl!"

Though Jaken was small, he caught the attention of Ziah, who was flying through the sky to find her lord. "There, Inuyasha!"

Inuyasha could not respond. His wounds were much too severe and he kept phasing in and out of consciousness. The only thing keeping him awake was Ziah's hair whipping in his face as she carried him off to safety.

Ziah spotted something very odd. There was a human girl on the balcony of where she knew her lord was. It didn't make any sense as to why Sesshoumaru would associate with a human. There were too many thoughts surging through her mind concerning her injuries, Inuyasha's life, and the Shikon Jewel that Kouga had stolen with his formidable and strange power. She couldn't make any assumptions as to why a human girl was standing on that balcony, but her instincts told her that she wanted her dead.

Rin didn't know if the two of them would recognize her, but she wasn't back to her full strength, nor did she have a weapon. She truly wasn't much of a match for Ziah and Inuyasha without the element of surprise. With no other options left, she did the only thing that felt right. "Lord Sesshoumaru!"

To be continued...


	15. Chapter 15: Secrets

Chapter 15

I do not own Inuyasha

"Lord Sesshoumaru!"

He heard her call his name. It was odd that she put so much faith and trust within him, even though she knew he was a demon. Of course no one could stand against his might and if he wished for anyone to live, they would, but for her to believe that he would save her only because she asked was foolish if not down right insulting.

However, if she were to die, then his pique of interest would have died with her. Sesshoumaru could smell Inuyasha and Ziah. They had to be the ones making the girl feel frightened. Sesshoumaru hurried to the girl's room, knowing that his time was short. He didn't want to, but he had to run to the girl's side in order to save her worthless life.

Rin wasn't afraid of death, so she didn't flinch or even close her eyes when Ziah came from the sky and formed one of her very deadly whips of light. Rin should have pretended to panic, but she couldn't let the demon get that sort of satisfaction from slaying her. Unfortunately, Ziah noticed how odd the girl was. _'What is wrong with this child?'_

But because Rin would not close her eyes, she saw a flash of beautiful white light hover above her and a sword created from a large fang formed to block the attack.

"Lord Sesshoumaru?" Ziah was beyond baffled. A human girl was in Sesshoumaru's presence and he drew his great and beloved sword to protect her. _'What is going on here? Why would my lord save the life of a mortal?' _"What is a human doing here?"

Sesshoumaru grew angry once he saw his brother bleeding and unconscious in Ziah's arms. "I think the more appropriate question would be 'what exactly happened' and 'what demon is powerful enough to defeat Inuyasha and send you fleeing to me?'"

Ziah was most curious about the mortal girl, but she could tell that Sesshoumaru was concerned and angry about the condition of his brother. "Kouga of the wolf tribe."

"Kouga?" Sesshoumaru couldn't believe that either of them were so badly defeated by a simple wolf demon. "How did he accomplish such a thing?"

"He had some sort of weapon that unleashed a power similar to the wind scar."

"Really?" Sesshoumaru became quite interested. He of course wasn't afraid, but interested.

"I got Inuyasha out of the way, but he was badly injured by the blast. If he was directly hit with it, then he'd be dead."

Sesshoumaru had seen his brother injured before, but not quite that badly. His skin was ripped, burned, and pouring blood. There was a chance that he very well could have died. _'How could you be so foolish and let this happen, little brother?'_ It angered Sesshoumaru to see him in such poor condition. "And is that the end of the tale, Ziah?"

"No, my lord." Ziah was ashamed, but she could not withhold so much information from her lord that was so important. "They managed to get the Shikon Jewel."

'_The Shikon Jewel?'_ Sesshoumaru was told of the plot by Myouga. He thought Inuyasha and Ziah would be able to handle themselves. Instead of destroying the wolves, he was associating with a mortal. "Rin."

"Yes, my lord?" She had been listening carefully to their conversation, wondering when Ziah would once again try to strike her. _'There's no way she would be able to recognize me. I dulled her sense of smell and was dressed like a man. There's no way for her to know that it was me.'_

"It's time to prove your worth." He didn't know that she would have any use and he still wasn't quite convinced. He would offer her the chance to prove herself. "Take care of Inuyasha. I expect him to make a full recovery."

"Yes, my lord." She bowed her head. "I will do my best!"

Ziah's mouth was hanging open from the horror of watching Sesshoumaru treat Rin like a normal servant. _'What did I miss? How is this possibly happening?'_

"Ziah, follow me."

Ziah looked at Rin on Inuyasha's side and saw how she observed his wounds without panic. She didn't fear her own death or anyone else. It was rare that a human possessed such qualities. _'I have to know who she is.' _Ziah had to stop with the spying appearance and followed Sesshoumaru into another room. "I am sorry that I lost the jewel."

"That was Inuyasha's responsibility. I care nothing about it." Sesshoumaru never needed the power of the jewel with the Tetsusiaga on his side. It was no wonder that other demons came seeking an edge over him. "Did Kouga only come for the jewel?"

"Yes. I think he wanted the power in order to defeat you."

"Then I'll have to disappoint him." Sesshoumaru had every intention on making Kouga pay. It wasn't only to make up for nearly killing Inuyasha, but the blatant disrespect. Inuyasha and Ziah belonged to him. An attack against them might as well have been an attack on him personally.

With no more immediate questions being asked and Inuyasha being taken care of, Ziah couldn't help but ask. "What about the girl, my lord?"

"What of her?" If Ziah of all people assumed the worst in him concerning his relationship with the girl, he was going to have to hurt someone and Jaken wasn't present.

"Why is she here?" She sounded baffled, not like she had an accusation.

"You mean you don't know?" Sesshoumaru was a bit surprised. Ziah had never tried to deceive him. She wouldn't be any good at it. So if she acted like she didn't know Rin, then perhaps she truly didn't.

'_Why would I know a mortal girl? He knows how much I despise them.'_ She tried to think of how she could have any connection to the girl, but there literally was none to her knowledge "No, my lord. Should I?"

'_That's interesting. Ziah would never lie to me under any circumstances. She doesn't recognize Rin at all, yet I know that she scratched Rin and nearly killed her. If not for me, the girl would be dead.' _"If you don't know, then why did you try to kill her?"

"I was merely acting on my instincts." Ziah didn't like humans, but she was not completely irrational towards them. When she saw the girl, she was confused, not suspicious. But something inside of her told her to attack the girl. It was like she was dangerous. Of course Ziah wasn't afraid of the girl, but she knew that she couldn't trust her. "They're never wrong."

Sesshoumaru knew she was really sharp, but Rin couldn't have been any danger. She was nothing more than a weak mortal. "Are you sure you were acting on instincts and not a jealous rage?"

"What would I have to be jealous for?" Her eyes bucked and she had to stop herself from laughing. "Oh, no! Lord, Sesshoumaru! I would never believe that you would be linked with a mortal in any way. I know you. I know what we are to one another." _'Why would he ever think something like that? I bet it was that idiotic fool, Jaken. He always overreacts.' _She couldn't help but laugh. "Oh, Sesshoumaru!"

He was still baffled. "Yet your instincts told you to attack this girl?"

"My initial reaction might seem irrational, but usually who I want dead needs to die. It's like I can smell the trouble on them." Ziah shrugged. She could care less about the girl personally. "I would warn you about the girl, but it's not as if anything can harm you."

"She's nothing more than a mystery to work out."

Ziah couldn't imagine how a human managed to catch his attention, considering that he was obsessed with taking the world for himself for the past two hundred years. She was a bit intrigued herself. "If you let me in on the mystery, perhaps I can help you."

"You've already helped quite a bit. I think I'd like to handle it from here on."

She didn't press the matter any further. She was in no way intimidated. "And what about Kouga?"

"Track him. Find out where his tribe is, but do not engage him. We'll wait for Inuyasha to recover."

"You can destroy them all with your sword. Why wait for your brother?"

"Because I know him well and I won't deny him the satisfaction of revenge."

Ziah actually thought that was terribly sweet of Sesshoumaru. "I will search for Kouga. I promise I will find him and once we all find them, we'll destroy them."

* * *

Rin had a lot of experience attending to wounds. She had been involved in many battles where her comrades died in her arms from loss of blood, but she had been able to save the lives of many comrades. If she had to amputate, she would do it without blinking. If she needed to dig poisonous demon teeth out of someone, she didn't have a problem. Taking care of Inuyasha wasn't going to be a challenge, especially since she knew he was more durable than a human.

Inuyasha was hardly breathing, so she had to hurry. Rin ran all across the castle trying to find bandages, water, herbs, and towels. She could have cared less for Inuyasah's life, but it was apparently important to her lord and his will dominated above all else. She worked so fast that her hands did the work without thinking too much about it. Only one thought repeated in her head over and over again. _'I cannot fail him!' _

She took a deep breath once she had gotten the bleeding to stop. She had rested Inuyasha's head on a towel, but it was soaked with his own blood and she thought it was unsanitary. She lifted his head to set another towel under it, but his eyes flickered open. "Inuyasha?"

"Kagome?"

"No." _'Is he dreaming of an old lover?' _Rin wasn't one for romantics, but she suddenly found an appreciation for love. "Who is Kagome?"

Inuyasha was still disorianted, but he could tell from her voice that she wasn't Kagome. It was hard to concentrate, but he focused in on her as much as he could and looked deeply into her familiar brown eyes. "You!"

Rin was shocked. _'Does he recognize me?' _She reached for her weapon out of habit, but then realized she was defenseless. If she called on Lord Sesshoumaru again to save her, Inuyasha would have made her into the enemy. _'I have to do something!'_

Luckily for her, Inuyasha's eyes faded out and he slipped back into a deep sleep. It was possible that he was confusing her for someone else, but Rin couldn't take that chance.

She got up and left Inuyasha in order to explore the castle a bit. There had to be weapons somewhere that she could use in order to silence Inuyasha permanently. She couldn't stroll up to her room with a sword in case Sesshoumaru spotted her, so she made a trip to the supplies room and gathered some more towels. Then after looking in a couple of rooms, she found a massive storage room with tons of familiar weapons. They all looked like they were excellently crafted, but they couldn't have been as powerful as her weapons that were made from demon corpses. She settled for a very fine, but short sword and tucked it in between two towels and tried to sneak back up to her room as quietly as possible.

"Rin."

She stopped and turned to face her lord quickly. "Yes, Lord Sesshoumaru?"

"How is Inuyasha doing?"

"I'm not sure, my lord." Rin couldn't afford to be completely honest in case she had to kill Inuyasha herself. "He seems to be stable, but he could always make a turn for the worst. His injuries were very severe."

"I have confidence in your abilities. Besides, if he dies then I have no reason to keep you here at my side."

Rin wasn't really afraid of anything, but a fear of loneliness overtook her heart and squeezed onto it tightly. "And why is that, my lord?"

"Because you promised that you could be useful to me. You can't fail on your first task." Sesshoumaru was certainly curious about her, but that didn't mean he really wanted her to stay. Everyone had to pull their own weight and he was turned off by her once she called his name for help. He was not a servant to be summoned. He wouldn't have it.

'_This isn't good. I have to keep Inuyasha alive if I want to stay by his side! That means I just can't kill him right now, but I'll be killed for sure once Inuyasha reveals my secret.'_ "Yes, my lord."

"And clean yourself off, Rin. There's no reason to be drowning in the stench of Inuyasha's blood."

"Yes, my lord." She bowed again and rushed back up to her room. Inuyasha was indeed a problem, but so was killing him. She would have to wait until he awakened. Then she could decide if his life could be spared.

In the meantime, she did her best to clean Inuyasha's blood from off the floor and off of herself. There was a very nice bath in the castle that she took advantage of. She didn't realize how much blood was on her until she was in the water. It wasn't really anything for her to be covered in the blood of her victims and it didn't bother her. No matter what she did or who she pretended to be, she was always going to be a stone cold killer. Perhaps that's why she felt so comfortable around demons. They really weren't that different.

Rin considered trying to disguise herself by wrapping up her face while she stayed with Inuyasha, but she knew that wouldn't work for very long. Sesshoumaru would most certainly be suspicious of her if she tried to wear a disguise. She would have to simply take her chances with Inuyasha.

She watched over him, determined not to get one wink of sleep while there was a chance he might expose her. He was a full blooded demon. He would wake up soon and then she could interrogate him properly. She just needed to stop him before he spoke to his brother. She kept her short sword hidden under the towel, but she would often reach under it and grip the sword while she stared intensely at Inuyasha's throat. She was so prepared to kill him that she almost wanted to do it.

Just as the dawn began to hit Inuyasha's face from the opened balcony door, his eyes slowly began to open. He first noticed the scent of a human whom he found to be pleasant, but he could not admit that out loud. He then realized that his head was elevated on a pair of warm thighs and he almost began to blush. Then he noticed the cold steel pressed against his throat. He looked up and saw that he was staring into the eyes of the exact same demon slayer who had bested him and Ziah. "So it is you?"

"One more word, Inuyasha, and you won't live to give away my identity." She was incredibly threatening and she was obviously capable of making good on her threats.

"Fair enough." Inuyasha looked around the room. He didn't recognize it, but he did smell his brother's scent in the area. Ziah's scent was around, but he could sense that she wasn't actually there...wherever he was. "Why are you taking care of me? I thought you wanted me dead."

"Perhaps I still do, but I have been ordered by Sesshoumaru to watch over you."

Inuyasha laughed weakly to himself. "I take it he doesn't know that you kill demons for a living."

"And it will stay that way." She pressed the sword tighter to his neck to prove how serious she was.

"Why are you with him?" he asked. "He doesn't like humans."

"So I keep hearing." Rin wasn't so convinced about Sesshoumaru's hatred for humans. Whatever the problem he claimed there to be, she was certain that they could overcome it. "He saved my life. I stumbled into a village after I was poisoned and the people thought I was a sign from the gods. I was his human sacrifice."

Inuyasha laughed again, wishing he could have seen the look on his brother's face once the villagers told him they prepared a human for him. It must have been downright hysterical once he realized his human was also dying. "And so he took you because he doesn't like to do what's expected and slaughtered the entire village?"

Rin was a little surprised. "You know your brother well, Inuyasha."

"I know him very well." Inuyasha remembered that Ziah scratched her. It wasn't severe, but it didn't need to be. Ziah's poison was deadly enough to kill just about any demon. They were both sure the demon slayer would be dead in an hour tops and yet she was nursing him back to health. "Sesshoumaru could probably tell whose poison was in your body. He's probably trying to figure you out and once he does, you'll be killed. He's going to probably ask me about you."

"Then I guess I should kill you now."

Inuyasha smiled. He had never met a woman quite like her, especially a human. She was so strong and fearless that he found her to be amusing. She honestly thought she was in control. In that way, she reminded him of Kikyou. But she was much more rougher than Kikyou. Kikyou fought out of duty. This demon slayer was a true warrior. "No wonder why he keeps you around. I find you to be very intriguing."

"Sesshoumaru doesn't know about this side of me. I'm an ordinary human as far as he's concerned." She could be an ordinary woman around Sesshoumaru. That was the only way for her to be safe! No one would see her as the orphan or the freak. She would only be Rin. "The demon slayer that attacked you is dead."

That truly disappointed Inuyasha. He wasn't really looking forward to a fight, but he did like that she was so cunning, cruel, yet beautiful. "Ziah didn't recognize you?"

"No, though she did attack me."

"She must not have gotten a good look into your eyes." Her eyes were big, bright, but dark brown. Though on first glance they appeared innocent, it was as if Inuyasha could see her endless battles through her eyes. They might have been ordinary eyes to many people, but they were extraordinary and unmistakable to Inuyasha.

"Who is Kagome?"

Kagome wasn't anyone he had thought of for a long while. Once he used her to know if he remembered what it was like to care for someone, he let her go. "Why do you ask?"

"Because you called me her name." Rin was trying to figure out how she could possibly take advantage of the situation. "I assume it's an old lover."

"No. She's someone who looks like an old lover..." _'It's odd that I found a human who was the reincarnation of Kikyou and now I find a woman who looks very similar to Kagome.'_

"A human?" she asked surprised. "You fall in love with humans?"

"Not anymore!" Humans were weak and fragile creatures who only knew how to hurt and betray one another. Inuyasha should have been able to protect Kikyou, but he did sometimes resent the fact that she couldn't save herself. Against any demon, she could survive. When it came to competing against a worthless and common bandit, she was nothing.

"How did your lover die, Inuyasha?"

Inuyasha was a little bit surprised that she guessed correctly, but it wasn't a very hard thing to guess. Mortals died. Nothing could be done about it. "Bandits."

Rin could remember the day her family was taken from her. There was so much blood everywhere. She still didn't know why she survived if everyone else she knew had to die. "Bandits killed my parents and my brothers. I became an orphan and the villagers were cruel to me. One day I decided to leave and stumbled into a village of demon slayers. I had nothing to lose, so I joined the fight. Apparently I had a lot of issues to work through, because I turned out to be a natural killer."

"So why are you serving a demon now?"

"Because I realized after the villagers tried to use me as a human sacrifice, that all creatures have the capacity for good and evil. It was ridiculous to engage in a war against the demons when one saved my life and the humans tried to destroy me."

Inuyasha could relate to her all too well. "So you cast aside your humanity?"

"No. I'll always be human, Inuyasha. That's fine. I can still be who I want to be. It has nothing to do about who I was when I was born."

It seemed like such a simple thing, but Inuyasha had only heard of a few people who had ever accepted him completely for who he was and it most certainly wasn't Sesshoumaru. Rin was extremely tough, but she did have a kindness and a wisdom that reminded him of Kikyou and his mother. It would have been a shame to actually meet another decent human and have to watch her die at the hands of his brother.

"Will you agree to keep my secret, Inuyasha?"

Inuyasha knew that keeping a secret from his brother could have resulted in death, but he was willing to take the risk for Rin. She would keep things interesting. "I agree."

Rin removed the sword and placed it back under the towel. _'That's one burden off my shoulders.'_

But he was sad that he wouldn't be able to watch the lovely demon slayer in action. She was honestly one of the best fighters he had ever seen. "And you'll pretend to live this lie, Rin? You can give up being a killer so easily?"

'_I could give up anything for Lord Sesshoumaru.'_ "No one must know who I was, Inuyasha. I'm starting over with this new life."

Inuyasha didn't believe her, but he was willing to play along. Perhaps it was foolish of him, but he was already growing quite fond of the new human in his life. "Okay, Rin. I won't mention anything about you being a demon slayer."

* * *

"And are you sure she was taken?"

Kohaku, Sango, and Miroku had been searching for Rin nonstop. They found a destroyed village on their journey that had her clothes and weapons. Kohaku feared the worst, but they found no body. They were able to track all of the women and children who fled, along with one man who hid when Sesshoumaru arrived and watched him slaughter everyone.

"I'm positive." The man was shaking from the thought of seeing the fierce demon destroy all of his friends. He should have died with them all, but he was too afraid to face the demon. "He took the girl with him. She was still alive at the time, but she was sick."

"I see..." Kohaku didn't know what to do, but he needed to rescue Rin somehow.

"Kohaku..." Sango placed her hand on her brother's shoulder for comfort. "I don't know how we could hope to defeat Sesshoumaru."

"It is quite the impossible task," Miroku said. "There is no demon stronger than him and no spiritual power has been enough either."

"Still!" Kohaku couldn't just leave Rin alone. He loved her with all of his being. He wished he had told her one thousand times, but he hadn't. He could only hope that he wasn't too late! "I have to save Rin. I'll do it by myself if I have to."

"Don't say such things!" Sango said. "Of course I'll help you. That's what family does."

"And I very well can't let the woman I love go off on a dangerous mission without me," Miroku said. "We'll confront Sesshoumaru together and find a way to bring Rin home."

Kohaku knew how impossible the situation was, but he smiled. "We'll bring her home, no matter what the cost. She is one of us after all."

To be continued...


End file.
